New Recruit
by TeGustaONo
Summary: Stanford is pretty much only interested in Grace, but another girl has her eye on him... What happens when she ends up becoming Battle Force 5's newest recruit? Can Stanford notice her as more than a waitress? And what's the deal with Vert and Grace?
1. Chapter 1

**OK, this is my first Battle Force 5 fic. So yeah... Anyways, I own nothing, except for Kit. All of the Battle Force 5 people/characters belong to their rightful owners. Enjoy! Please read and review! The more reviews I get the faster I'll update! **

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The Battle Force 5 sat in the Diner, enjoying a pizza and a few rounds of sodas. Stanford was acting as usual, flirting with Grace, but she wasn't into him, so it was all fruitless. Spinner and Sherman were having a chugging contest, and so far, Sherman was winning. Agura and Vert were talking battle strategies, while Zoom was busy cheering on Spinner, telling him to chug faster.

"Are you sure you won't go out on a date with me?" Stanford asked Grace, and she just rolled her eyes. "I am royalty, you know." Truth was, sometimes Grace thought Stanford was pretty obnoxious, but he was still bearable, and at times, he had his nice streaks. However, today, he was getting to be unbearable. She just wanted to catch a break, so that she could go and get ready for her date with… Well, she couldn't even think it, in fear Stanford would find out.

"I'm off my shift," she told Stanford. "But I have somewhere to be, so I have to go." Before the red head could say anymore, Grace smiled and walked away. Stanford sighed in rejection, thinking to himself that Grace was just playing hard to get, and that she wanted him. Bad. But of course, that wasn't true, in all actuality of things.

Grace walked back into the kitchen, and tapped the brunette on the shoulder. The girl looked up and gave Grace a questioning look, by raising her eyebrows. "It's your turn to wait on tables," Grace explained. The brunette sighed and nodded, taking off her apron and throwing it onto the wooden chair. "Good luck with Stanford."

The brunette nodded and walked out, deciding to see what table she'd need to be waiting on. At the moment, only one group was occupying the diner, and there were six people in said group. Out of curiosity, she walked back into the kitchen to ask Grace which one was Stanford. "Oh, he's the red head," Grace replied, folding up a few spare aprons. The brunette walked back out and looked for the read head among the six people.

She laid her dark blue eyes on the red head and froze. So that was Stanford? He looked a little dejected, with arms folded across his chest, rolling his green eyes in annoyance at Grace's rejections, time after time. Now this brunette usually didn't go for red heads, but green eyes could make her go soft, and Stanford did look adorable. Grace walked up behind her and tapped her shoulder.

"Kit?" she asked, nudging the brunette. The girl called "Kit" jumped.

"Huh?" she asked, blinking once. Grace noted that Kit had been staring at Stanford.

"You're actually interested in him?" she asked, a little amused. Kit's cheeks turned red and she shook her head vigorously.

"No! I was just observing," Kit replied smartly. Grace grinned and nodded, winking at her. She nudged the brunette and the blue eyed girl turned around, only to find Stanford watching them. She made an "eek" sound and darted back into the kitchen. Kit had never been any good with boys, as she was an intense kind of person, and she was a little strange, too, but strange in the good way.

"Kitty Cat," Grace called, walking back into the kitchen. The brunette was standing by the kitchen's window, peering out at Stanford. Her eyes were wide, cheeks tinged pink, and she was running her fingers through her brown hair. "Alright already, just go see if they need anything." As if they had been heard, right on cue, Spinner's voice rang out, clear and loud.

"Can we get another round of sodas?" Spinner called out. Grace nodded towards Kit, who sighed and nodded. She wasn't the best around boys, but she wasn't going to get so nervous that she'd drop everything. Hopefully. Kit grabbed the tray and walked out to the table. "Yeah, Sherm, Agura, Vert, and I need Cokes, while Stanford and Zoom need Dr. Peppers," Spinner said, gesturing to each person as he said their names. Kit nodded and took their cups.

She hurried back to the kitchen and refilled them, as Grace got ready to leave. With the tray in hand, she hurried back to the table, giving everyone their drinks. Stanford was watching Grace exit the diner, which kind of annoyed Kit, but what could she do? She shook her head and walked back to the kitchen with the empty tray in hand.

The brunette sat down in the chair and peeked out the window of the kitchen, watching the group. Stanford had gone back to watching the chugging contest between Sherman and Spinner, and Kit wondered why they had stayed so long at the diner. It was getting darker, and soon the group exited the diner and walked outside. Kit ran to the window by the booth they had been sitting at, clambering into the now empty diner booth seats. She crouched down and watched as Stanford pulled out a stereo and started to play music.

Pretty soon, all of them were dancing around, just having a great time. They even had glow sticks. And Kit was all alone in the diner, well, except for Zeke. But she didn't know him, as she had only just started this job. Not that she wanted to dance, she wasn't very good at it anyways. But if they had offered… She sighed and sat down in the booth, looking around. She was kind of hungry, so she considered eating in the back. It would give her something to do, to pass the time, anyways.

Later on that evening, the Battle Force 5 came back in, sitting down at the table. Kit looked out at them and polished off the rest of her sandwich. The brunette didn't want to miss anything. She busied herself by working around the kitchen, keeping her work quiet so that she could hear what they had to say.

Vert stood up and exited the diner, saying about how he had to go and meet something. For a moment, Kit thought that it might have been Grace. "Nah," she muttered under her breath, as she took the wet wash cloth and cleaned off the stove. "It can't be." She continued her work, but her mind was going, continuously thinking, but the person occupying her thoughts today was none other than Stanford.

Before she could do much more, her train of thought was interrupted. Agura, the only female in the group, walked up to the counter. "Hey, do you want to take a break and come talk with us?" Agura asked, looking and sounding sincere. Kit froze up but nodded after a moment, finishing off her current chore and walking out to the counter, after washing her hands of course.

She joined Agura at the table. "So, your name is Kit, right?" Zoom asked, taking a sip of his Dr. Pepper.

"That's what everyone calls me," Kit replied.

"When did you start working here?" Agura asked.

"Only just today… I needed some kind of job," Kit answered. "Grace is a friend of mine, so she offered to help me get a job here. It was an offer I really couldn't refuse." They talked for a little while longer, and Stanford really didn't say too much. He did, however, emphasize the fact that he was royalty, and he even asked if Kit could get him a date with Grace. The brunette was a little disheartened by this, but those emerald green eyes of his melted all of her doubts and anger, and anything else she was feeling except for butterflies.

"I can try, I suppose," she said, feeling weak in the knees. Kit didn't understand why she had just agreed to help Stanford try to get a date with Grace, when she was obviously somewhat attracted to him. That was so unlike her, but oh well. Stanford grinned.

"You're not half bad," he told Kit, his British accent thick. Kit blushed a little bit.

After a little while longer, the group left, bading Kit farewell. She then proceeded to help Zeke lock up, but she stayed behind after he locked the doors, leaving the keys with her. She slept inside the diner, so she changed into her long pajama pants and her t-shirt, and wrapping her favorite blanket of hers around her cold body, she settled into one of the booths.

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So, what did you think? Please, tell me in reviews, they are greatly appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks to parrot(dot)fysh for reviewing the first chapter! Stanford is my favorite, I must say. Anyways, I don't own anything. I only own Kit. All of the Battle Force 5 people/characters belong to their rightful owners. Here's the second chapter - enjoy! Please read and review! As I stated in the first chapter, the more reviews I get, the faster I'll update! **

**Note: It wouldn't let me put parrot(dot)fysh's name the right way, because of the dot. So yeah. Just saying. **

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When the Battle Force 5 entered the diner, with Grace trailing just behind them, they heard rock music coming from the kitchen. "Who _is _that?" Stanford asked, a little surprised. Grace smirked to herself and whistled. The brunette known as Kit appeared, dressed in simple jeans, t-shirt, and a hoodie. She had some sort of book in her hand.

"Kit, I suggest you get ready to wait tables," Grace advised. The brunette smirked and nodded, turning around and going back to the kitchen. She turned down the music a little bit, and bookmarked her page. Stanford was a little surprised at first, but Vert dragged him to the table. The brunette came back and stood at the table, looking at everyone expectantly. Today was Grace's day off, so Kit had the whole job to herself.

After everyone ordered, the brunette headed back into the kitchen. Kit opened her book back up and propped it up against the stereo so that she could read, work, and listen to her tunes at the same time. She brought out the drinks and didn't stick around for long. She hopped up on the stool in the kitchen, continuing to do what she had been doing before everyone showed up.

"So, what did you have to do last night?" Spinner asked Vert. The blonde and Grace traded glances, which caught Stanford's eye. He eyed them both suspiciously. Vert laughed nervously, as he knew the red head would be pretty angry. Spinner raised his eyebrows in thought, until he realized why they were trading glances. Sherman did a spit take with his drink, as he realized as well. Agura's eyes widened in surprise, as Zoom coughed into his hand. Stanford folded his arms across his chest.

"OK, I guess now is as good at time as any to tell you," Grace started. "Vert and I have been dating for the past few months." The music in the kitchen stopped and Kit came out. She had been friends with Grace long before she had taken this job, and even she was surprised. The brunette gave Grace a skeptical look. "We were keeping it quiet just in case things didn't work out." Stanford stood up and walked out, his cheeks burning red.

Kit ran back into the kitchen and shoved her book in her backpack, along with her Ipod. She ran back out of the kitchen. "Grace, can you take over for me? I'll owe you one," Kit quickly asked. Grace nodded so Kit took that as the OK to go on out. She saw the purple Reverb pull out, so she headed for her motorcycle. (Yes, Kit drives a motorcycle.) She nudged the kick stand out of place, and revved it a little bit, before following after the Reverb.

It wasn't hard to keep up with Stanford, even though he was going pretty fast. Kit was the kind of person that told people to suck things up, and if she had to, she would tell Stanford the same thing. However, she wasn't expecting what happened next. A battle key shot off the front of Reverb, opening up one of the portals.

The Reverb blasted through and since Kit was so close to the bumper she made it through as well. She managed to land the jump and she skidded her motorcycle to a stop. The purple car before her stopped and swerved around. The top opened up and Stanford appeared. "What the… Have you been following me?" he asked.

"Well duh, I'm here, aren't I?" Kit replied, folding her arms across her chest as she steadied the bike with her foot. "I was coming to see if you were alright. And to tell you to suck it up."

"Oh really?" Stanford replied smartly. "I'm royalty, you know."

"Yeah, so I've heard," Kit mumbled.

"My point is, I don't need a waitress telling me to "suck it up"," he added, glaring. The blue eyed girl glared back, equally irked by the other's actions.

"So…you're just a sissy," Kit commented, giving him the once over as he stepped out of the Reverb. She didn't get off of her bike, in case he tried anything suspicious. She may have thought he was attractive, but that didn't mean she was going to go easy on him. "I should've figured. You hide behind the fact that you've got royal blood." She smirked, as she was satisfied with Stanford's shocked-yet-angry expression.

"I am not a sissy!" he replied heatedly. She started up her bike and smirked, shaking her head. "Where are you going?" She revved it and then started forward, causing Stanford to panic a little bit. "What are you doing? Wha, no!" He jumped back in the Reverb and took off, with Kit close behind.

Stanford needed to think of a way to shake her off, so he made a sharp turn and glanced behind him. Kit sucked at sharp turns, so the bike skidded and went on its side. The bike finally came to stop at the wall and she blew a piece of hair out of her eyes. "Great, I was outsmarted by an idiot," she mumbled to herself. She wasn't hurt, that was the good part, but her pride was bruised.

The red head walked over to her laughing. "Now who needs to _"suck it up"_?" he asked, smirking. Kit glared up at him. She needed to make Stanford look like a jerk, so she sniffled a few times and forced out a few fake tears. They looked real, though, as they streamed down her face. On the inside, she was smirking, but she couldn't really show it. "Are you crying?"

"You're such a jerk," she said, her voice cracking slightly. She had been taught how to fake tears, and all that good stuff when she was fifteen. Now of course she was twenty, and it was coming in handy. "I can't believe you just did that." She managed a few more fake tears, sitting on the ground. Stanford wasn't sure if it was fake or not, but he didn't know how to make sure.

"Like I believe that little act," he said, unsure of himself. Kit sighed in frustration and stood up, wiping away the fake tears. "Oh so it was fake." She stopped what she was doing and stared at him. "What?"

"You didn't know?" she asked, face palming. "I'm such an idiot."

"I was just guess – I mean of course I knew that you were faking it!" Stanford quickly said, trying to sound sure. Kit rolled her eyes and picked up her bike, along with her bag. She mounted and pushed Stanford out of the way with her hand, driving past him. The red head followed after her as she drove over to the Reverb. She circled the purple car, checking it out. It had a nice sound system, that was obvious, and it looked like a sweet car in general.

"Huh. No idea why Grace doesn't like you," Kit muttered under her breath, parking the bike. She steadied it with her foot again and folded her arms across her chest. "Well, I hope you feel better now." He gave her an annoyed look and she smirked.

"You're such a smart alec," Stanford muttered under his breath, but loud enough so that Kit could hear him. She smirked again, but it was an annoyed smirk. She jumped off of her bike but tripped. He laughed at her. The brunette got back to her feet and marched over to him, swinging her fist in his direction. He caught her fists, and she tried to kick him but he blocked that, too. "I think you're the sissy."

She backed off and Stanford stupidly let his guard down. She decked him right in the jaw and he was a little surprised, but mostly angry. She turned around and screamed, as that had hurt her fist in the process. She stood there and he stood there, both seething with rage.

"I can see why Grace is dating Vert," she spat. Stanford glared at her.

"I can see why you're single," he replied curtly. He figured Kit didn't have a boyfriend. Of course, he had figured right. She glared at him and sighed in frustration. "Besides, that punch you just delivered? That was a cheap shot, and if I had kept my guard up, you would've never hit me."

"Oh really?" she said, in the same voice that he had used earlier. He noted this and glared at her, even harder than before. "Are you ready now?"

"Yes – but I don't see what that has to do with the-" Stanford started, but he was cut off when Kit tackled him. She pinned him to the ground, by grabbing his wrists and pressing them against the dirt. She sat on his chest and smirked down at him smugly. He glared up at her with angry emerald green eyes.

"I still took you down," Kit shot back, childishly sticking her tongue out at him. Stanford was not about to be outdone by some waitress, so he mustered up all of his strength and turned the tables on her. Before Kit knew what had happened, she was on the ground, and Stanford had pinned her down, using the same wrist grabbing technique as she had just previously used on him. However, since he was taller than her, he sat on her knees instead.

"Now it looks like you're the weak one," he replied, raising his eyebrows. She glared up at him with dark blue eyes. He only laughed in response, smirking down at the brunette. "Now, are you ready to give up? I can sit here all day. Your knees are quite comfortable." Kit had to admit, that Stanford was probably stronger than her. That, however, didn't stop her from being annoyed with him.

"Get off of me, Stanford," she said, menacingly.

"Give me one good reason why I should," Stanford shot back, smirking down at her.

"Because I said so," Kit snorted, unsure of what else to say.

"Not good enough!" Stanford replied in a sing-song sort of voice. Kit was about ready to deck him again, but with her wrists pinned down to the dirt, she really didn't have anything she could do. "I need a better, more convincing reason. First, say I'm amazingly strong." He smirked down at her.

"No way!" she exclaimed.

"Fine, then we can sit here all day," he replied. The red head winked and Kit started to grind her teeth together in anger.

"You are so annoying, Stanford! Fine… Stanford, you're amazingly strong. Now will you please get up!" she complained.

"Second, you have to say that you're a sissy and that you'll never be as strong as me."

"Fine, Stanford, you're a sissy and you'll never be as strong as me," Kit replied with a smirk. The red head glared down at her. "Fine, fine, fine. Stanford, I'm a sissy and I'll never be as strong as you. Anything else, Your Majesty?" she asked, with a mock tone of reverence thrown into the mix.

"Hah hah, very funny," Stanford replied, his British accent thick. "And third, you have to say that your piece of trash motorcycle is nothing in comparison to my Reverb." Kit hated degrading herself this way, but if she wanted Stanford to get up off of her she didn't really have much of a choice. "Go on."

"Stanford, my piece of trash motorcycle is nothing in comparison to your Reverb," she said, in a droning and bored voice. He smirked and nodded, standing up. He dusted off his clothing while Kit got to her feet, dusting off her jeans and her hoodie. "Now, can we please get back to the diner?" Stanford nodded and tossed out the battle key, watching as the portal reopened itself. "Thanks."

The red head jumped in the Reverb, while Kit mounted her motorcycle. Then they both drove back through the portal, coming back to their realm, Earth. Now all Kit had to do was make sure Stanford kept his big mouth shut.

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What did you think? Tell me in reviews, please! Seriously, each and every one of your reviews is greatly appreciated, and I wanna know how I'm doing for my first Battle Force 5 fic. :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks to Calm-Waters, parrot(dot)fysh, thelivingtunic, and KingdomHeartsandIchigoLover for reviewing, alerting, faving, and reading to this fic so far! Thanks mucho mucho mucho grande! I own nothing except for Kit, all others belong to their rightful owners. **

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When they got back to the diner, Stanford kept right on bragging about how awesome he was. Kit was a little annoyed with Stanford at the moment, but she let it all pass. That night, there was a concert outside of the diner. There was a huge crowd, and Zeke had given Kit and Grace the night off. Grace and Vert were having a great time, dancing to all of the fast songs. Stanford was trying to flirt with Grace, but he was getting rejected. He walked into the diner and sat down, shocked to see Kit at the counter.

"No one to dance with, love?" he asked curiously, resting his chin in his palm. Stanford was the zealous, confident one, but Grace had the power to crush him and cut him down. This was so out of character for him, even Kit could see it. She sighed and nodded. No one wanted to dance with her. She couldn't help but blush at the word "love" even though she knew he used that when speaking to Agura, or any other female for that matter. But it made her feel a little bit better.

"I thought you'd be whooping butt on the dance floor," Kit commented. "Grace is dancing with Vert, right?" Stanford eyed her curiously. Finally, he nodded, glancing out the window. He couldn't help but keep his emerald green eyes on the girl – no the woman, before him. She was wearing tan cargo pants, and a black long sleeve shirt. Her hair was pulled into a spiky bun and she was wearing a necklace with a heart locket on the end. No longer did she look or act like she had earlier.

"I thought so, too," he muttered under his breath, looking away. Grace looked so good, and she even made Vert himself look good. Stanford scoffed and turned around, folding his arms across his chest. Kit was watching him with bittersweet blue eyes. "What?" he asked, gaining a grin from Kit. She liked the way it sounded coming from him, with his thick British accent. She shook her head. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Why do you like Grace so much?" Kit wondered out loud, sighing in amusement.

"She's hot…and nice…" Stanford started in. Kit smirked down at him, raising her eyebrows once or twice, quickly, as if giving him a smart alec look. Truth be told, he didn't know that much about Grace. She was nice, indeed, and she was hot, too… But he knew nothing else. Finally, the red head looked up at Kit. She wasn't looking at him anymore, instead her eyes had been averted to the floor. "Care to dance with me, love?" Stanford asked, unsure of why he was doing so. However, there was a slow song playing and he needed to make himself look good.

"I can't dance," Kit replied, dully. Stanford's emerald green eyes widened for a moment, but he covered up his shock with a smirk.

"I'll teach you," Stanford replied smoothly. He held out his hand, waiting for Kit to reach out and take it. The brunette eyed him cautiously, but she laid her hand in his. He graciously helped her off of the stool. She was seriously confused now. Her dark blue eyes were skeptical.

"Why are you being so nice to me?"

"Because, there's a slow song playing, and I need to look good, and you need to look good," Stanford replied. Kit smirked and snorted, but she was happy nonetheless. At the moment, it didn't matter if she was being used for Stanford's own personal gain. Which was so unlike her, but he was right, kind of.

They stood in the crowd together, and Kit was rather nervous. She had never slow danced before. However, Stanford knew what he was doing, and of that she was grateful. He wrapped his arm around her waist, placing his hand on her back. She caught on quick and put her hand on his shoulder, while he took her other hand in his. Vert and Grace could see them, and Grace was pleased, while Vert was a little shocked.

"What'd I miss?" he asked Grace.

"You missed Kit almost spazzing out when she saw Stanford. That's about it," Grace replied with a smirk, laying her head on Vert's shoulder.

"You're not that bad," Stanford commented. Kit was apparently a quick learner, because she was able to get the feel of things quickly. Now she looked like she had been doing it for half of her life. "So, what brings you to the sleepy little town of Handler's Corners?" Stanford asked curiously.

"Eh…tired of living at home. I told them I'd leave when I was eighteen, but I stuck around for two years," Kit replied, glancing around at all of the people. "Not much. Except I lived with my grandparents, but nothing too special about that, as some of my friends lived with their grandparents, too." She shrugged. "That's why I tend to be loud."

"So I'm guessing the motorcycle was a hand-me-down?"

"Kind of," Kit replied. "Don't trash the bike, dude. It works just fine, it just needs to be worked on. Like, painted and reequipped and all of that good stuff." Stanford chuckled. The red head didn't mind Kit so much now, but maybe that was because she wasn't being rude or hostile, like before. Kit was resisting the urge to say something that would screw her over, a million times. _He's really good looking… That'll blow his ego up, for sure, for sure. _

After thinking this, the slow song ended, so Kit hauled herself away from Stanford and she ran into the diner. The red head almost followed after her, but he decided not to. _What am I thinking? I'm royalty, and she's the girl with the trashy bike. It's not a very good match up… _Kit sighed and pulled herself up onto the stool, her dark blue eyes shifting to Zeke.

Grace walked into the diner and sat down next to Kit. "Kitty Cat, I saw you dancing with Stanford. I didn't know you had it in you," Grace teased. Kit snorted and looked out the window, spotting the red head. "If you like him so much, make a move on him."

"He still likes you too much. He only danced with me to make himself look better, and to make me look better. There wasn't anything there. And I'll get over this little crush soon enough. It's just a phase," Kit told herself, more than she was telling Grace. The formerly mentioned snorted her reply and smirked.

"I'll be hooking you and Stanford up," she replied. "Come with me."

Grace pulled Kit off of the stool, and led her outside. Stanford was standing with Spinner and Sherman, arguing over who had the coolest car. Grace pushed Kit towards them and then ran off. The three boys looked at Kit curiously. "Uh, hey guys. Mind if I join the conversation?" Kit queried. Spinner and Sherman shrugged and nodded. Stanford was a little more hesitant, but after a moment of consideration, he shrugged and nodded.

"Anyways, no way the Reverb is cooler than the Buster Tank!" Spinner started in. Stanford shook his head.

"No no, boy, the Reverb has a killer sound system, and the artillery is state of the art," the red head shot back. Kit preferred the Reverb, even though the Buster Tank was killer. In her opinion…

"Wait, wait, boys, I think the Reverb is cooler. See, even though the Buster Tank is killer, with speed and power, the Reverb is faster, has a better sound system, and can used sound based attacks. Plus, it's a lot smaller and a lot easier to maneuver around in tight conditions. Like say you had to squeeze through a trench that was pretty tight, the Reverb wouldn't have a bit of a problem doing it. However, the Buster Tank would. And since the Reverb is a lot more agile, it can do jumps, a lot more accurately than the Tank can. Plus it would make it easier to land, because if there's a large landing space, it has all the more room to land," Kit said.

All three boys just stared at her. "Wow… You really know your battle strategies and your car mechanics," Sherman commented.

"I don't know that much, I pick these things up from listening to other people. But I've seen the Buster Tank, and I've seen the Reverb in action dudes," Kit replied, waving the comment off with her hand.

"Cool!" Spinner blurted out. "Wow, how come you're a waitress if you know this stuff?"

"As I said, I don't know that much. I just pick it up as I go along," Kit said in response, shrugging her shoulders. Spinner and Sherman traded glances before running off for a moment. "What the… OK…" She turned her dark blue eyes upon Stanford, whose emerald green eyes were stuck on her. "What?"

"How do you know so much about the Reverb?" he asked curiously. Kit blushed.

"Uh… Let's just say I checked it out one night when no one was around… To see me, anyways, ya know?" Kit responded.

"You're clever…and sneaky. I like it. Maybe we can fix up that trashy old bike of yours later on, just you and me," Stanford replied, winking.

"Really?" Kit asked, almost breathless at the thought of working up close and personally with Stanford Isaac Rhodes IV.

"Well, of course! And…maybe we'll need some help from Spinner and Sherman, but it would mostly be just us," Stanford replied, smiling sheepishly. Kit sighed happily, wondering how she was ever going to repay Grace for helping her out. She had no idea what this little project between her and Stanford would lead to…no idea at all.

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So, what do you think? Please, tell me in reviews! They are greatly appreciated! I read every single one of them! And I smile at all of them, because I love reviews!


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks to everyone who's read, reviewed, etc., etc., I really do appreciate it, and I take the time to read each and every one of the reviews I receive! I own nothing except for Kit, everyone and everything else belongs to their rightful owners. Enjoy! **

**Note: I may have spelled Captain Kalus wrong... **

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The next day came and went uneventfully for the diner. The Battle Force 5 had cleared another battle zone, gaining another battle key in the process. They were exhausted though, due to the fight with the Vandals. Captain Kalus was really starting to wise up on the battlefield… That night there was a thunderstorm.

The next day, the same thing happened – another battle zone was cleared, and they gained another battle key. However, this time, they decided to head to the diner to relax for a little while. Still suited up, they took their seat in the booth. Grace was on the job today, so she waited their table.

"Where's Kit?" Spinner asked, looking over Grace's shoulder. After the Reverb speech the brunette had given, he had taken a liking to her. Grace shrugged and whistled. That was one of the fastest ways to get Kit to come around, so that was the method Grace used the most often. Right on cue, a sleepy looking Kit walked out of the kitchen.

"What?" she asked in annoyance, wrapping the blanket firmly around herself. "I'm tired, I was up all night last night because of the storm."

"You're the one who always says you can survive on three hours of sleep," Grace retorted, setting down the drinks. Kit rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, well… Right now is just… Bleh," Kit said, walking back into the kitchen. However, she wasn't going to pass up an opportunity to talk to the Battle Force 5, so she went to the bathroom and cleaned herself up, dressing in jeans, a t-shirt, and a hoodie – as she did almost every day. However, usually they were different colors, so today she was wearing a tye-dye hoodie and light, baby blue jeans. "Grace, I think I broke the comb!" she called out, walking out with a comb that was snapped in half.

"Again? That's the third time this week, Kit," Grace replied. "Just tie it up in a ponytail."

"I hate ponytails," Kit grumbled, pulling a hair tie off of her wrist. She walked back to the bathroom and pulled her hair into a ponytail, letting her bangs hang out on the sides. She had chocolate brown hair, and most people couldn't tell that she had blue eyes, because they were dark blue. The brunette sighed and walked back out, sitting down on the stool at the counter. Grace offered her coffee, which she took gratefully.

"So, the storm woke you up? When Grace talks about you, you don't sound like the kind of person who would have that issue," Vert commented, trying to break the now awkward silence. Kit snorted.

"It didn't wake me up. I was already awake, so it prevented me from falling asleep. However, I am terrified of thunderstorms, so it probably would've brought me out of my deep sleep anyway," the brunette replied, sighing. She set the coffee cup down on the counter and leaned back, folding her arms across her chest. "I see the battle zone was harsh on you guys today."

"Make that Kalus," Stanford muttered under his breath. Kit caught that but said nothing.

"Yeah, it was… Wait… How do you know about those? You've never been in one," Spinner said, curiously. Kit glanced at Stanford before looking back at Spinner.

"Apparently, Stanford didn't tell you. When he got upset like a little girl and ran out, I followed him, but he had one of the battle keys with him," Kit replied. She smacked her hand over her mouth. She wasn't supposed to know about battle keys, was she? Vert eyed her suspiciously. "Uh… OK, let's just say I've been working this job for more than three days. I've been working here for the past few weeks, and although I never saw you all, I did hear you talking. As I said, I pick up things as I go along."

"See, Vert?" Sherman asked. "I told you she'd make a great addition to the team. All we'd have to do is fix up that trashy bike of hers."

"What is it with you all dissing my trash – I mean my bike!" Kit exclaimed.

"And she even knows how to be sneaky, it would be perfect, she could help out Zoom," Sherman suggested. Agura looked thoughtful before shrugging and nodding. "See, even Agura agrees with us! I don't think Stanford would have a problem with it, right?" Everyone looked at Stanford. The red head almost choked on his tea. He wasn't expecting them to welcome Kit right into the group like this.

"Whoa, whoa," he started in, "I don't need her torturing me like she did in the battle zone! Having her on the team would be worse than having Simon on the team…" Spinner punched him in the arm. "Wha – Spinner!" The oldest of the Cortez brothers eyed him curiously.

"Lemme join the team, I'll keep Stanford in line!" Kit quickly said, smirking.

"No!" Stanford replied, making a cutting motion through the air with his free hand. "I'm totally against this. I'll help her with her trashy bike, but I'm not agreeing to let her onto the team." Kit rolled her eyes, a little hurt, but she'd get back at Stanford later. "If you love me, you'll all say no."

"Everyone in favor, raise your hand," Vert said. Vert, Agura, Spinner, Zoom, and Sherman raised their hands.

"We don't love you, Stanford," Agura said smartly, winking at him. "Looks like you're outvoted. Kit's on the team now."

"Wait, we haven't even asked Kit if it's OK," Zoom jumped in. Everyone looked at her, Stanford especially hard. She already had her answer – yes – she wanted to be on the team. She could get under Stanford's skin better than anyone else, and she planned to use that to her advantage. The red head knew this full well, but he'd never admit it.

"I think it's great, of course I'll join the team," the brunette replied, smirking at Stanford. The red head groaned in frustration. "Now, I'm going to go take a look at my trashy bike," she said shortly. "If anyone needs me, I'll be outside." With that, Kit jumped off of the stool, and after avoiding tripping, she headed for the door. However, on the way out, she hit her knee against the door frame and had to restrain herself from using some pretty foul language.

Later that day, Kit had exhausted herself, giving herself a headache, and hurting herself. The bike had fallen over a few times, and she wasn't fast enough to get out of the way. Now, she was sitting on the ground with her Ipod in hand, listening to music. She had nothing better to do on a Friday night…

She shoved her Ipod back in her bag, feeling a little bored. There had to be something she could do to keep herself occupied. Before she could even do anything else, loud music entered her consciousness. She checked her Ipod, which was turned off, and she looked up, only to see the Reverb pulling into the parking lot.

Stanford appeared after a moment, obviously irked about something. But the red head was never satisfied, or at least it seemed that way. He eyed Kit with his emerald green eyes before walking past her into the diner. She had the urge to throw something at him, but she didn't. This was some love/hate relationship they had going on. First, they hated each other, but then they managed to get along and they even danced together. And now, they were enemies.

Kit couldn't resist, as she stood up and circled around the Reverb, just like she had done in the battle zone. It was a nice car, and a sweet ride at that. As she was caught up in admiring the car, Stanford walked back out. He froze for a minute, contemplating whether to yell at her or brag. He was here to get her _away _from the bike, and she was preoccupied with the Reverb…

"Sherman, Spinner!" he called under his breath, motioning for them to run out. They came out from behind the dumpster and picked the bike up easily, disappearing just as fast as they had come. Stanford wondered if Kit had seen any of this, but she looked pretty oblivious.

When the brunette was sure Sherman and Spinner were gone, she chuckled. "I'm guessing those two wanted to fix my bike up for me?" Kit asked Stanford. The red head just stared at her before shrugging. He was going to help them, so he couldn't say anything. "I'm cool with that, as long as I get to paint it," she replied. "And you have to help me. That'll qualify as helping me with my bike, in my book, anyways." Stanford had the feeling she was going to spray him with paint, but he had to agree, as he had told her they would fix her bike together.

"Only because I said I'd help you fix your bike," the red head replied, folding his arms across his chest.

"So, now how do you think I'll get around? Without my bike, that is," Kit added. She wanted to know what her travelling accommodations were going to be.

"They stuck me with that job," he replied, face palming. "But at least I know I can subdue you if you go on another one of your hostile streaks." Kit rolled her eyes at him. Seriously, this was one messed up love/hate relationship. "Agura volunteered me. And Grace asked me to, so I didn't really have much of a choice, now did I?"

"Guess you didn't," Kit responded. There was an awkward silence that followed. Stanford was mentally yelling at himself. He was _supposed _to be getting on the brunette's good side, because they had kicked him out of the base for the time being. So the reason he had gone into the diner was so that he could ask Zeke if he stay there until the rest of the team came to their _bloody _senses.

"But, we should be…getting to know each other…since we're on the same team," he muttered under his breath, scratching the back of his head. This was not something he wanted to be doing.

"Who put you up to this? Or who are you and what did you do with the _real _Stanford," Kit asked.

"Alright, let's cut to the chase. Since they know how much I dislike you," Stanford started, "they're forcing me to get to know you, so they kicked me out of the base." In truth, Stanford didn't mind Kit, but that didn't mean he liked her just yet. He had liked her during the concert, but now, it was a little on the iffy side. They still had some issues that needed to be worked out. "It's not that I don't like you, it's just I don't like you. At the concert you were civil, so it was easy to talk to you, but now you're back to your regular hostile ways."

"You're one to talk," Kit said in reply, a little amused. "I'll go set up the second mattress then."

"Wait, there aren't any beds?" Stanford asked, a horrified expression crossing his face.

"No, they're mattresses. I have one, but sometimes I sleep in the booths. And yes, they're clean, Stanford, I hate dirty mattresses," Kit added. Thunder rumbled across the sky, so Kit hurried to grab her bag. "Come on, then," she said, holding the door open for him. He grabbed a bag out of the Reverb and then sighed in annoyance, walking past her.

Right as she closed the door, it started to pour.

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Review and I will update mega fast!


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks to everyone! I own nothing, except for Kit, and all others belong to their rightful owners. Enjoy, and review! **

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Kit flipped through a magazine as she sat on her mattress. Stanford's was on the other side of the diner, as he was avoiding the hostile side of Kit. The brunette tossed the magazine aside and got up, stretching, before walking into the kitchen. Zeke had given her full permission to snack, as long as she didn't clean the kitchen out. So the brunette was taking advantage of his graciousness, by dishing herself out some ice cream. There was a storm raging on outside, and ice cream always made her feel better.

She had the stereo going, with her Ipod hooked up to it. She danced over to the utensil drawers and pulled out the scoop. She closed the drawer with her hip and walked back to the counter, where she pulled down a bowl. The bowl clinked lightly against the counter when she set it down, and only moments later, she heard footsteps. Stanford threw open the kitchen door and folded his arms across his chest. "I want some," he said, frowning. "Why didn't you offer _me _any?"

"What did you do to deserve it?" Kit asked, putting the finishing touches on the heap of ice cream in the bowl. She slid it down the counter carefully and the red head just stared at it. "That's yours," she said, gesturing to it with the scoop. Stanford walked over, took the bowl and the spoon, and walked back out. The brunette rolled her eyes and retrieved another bowl from the cupboard. After fixing herself some ice cream, and putting everything away, she walked back out of the kitchen.

"Stanford," she groaned, seeing him sitting on _her _mattress. The red head looked up when he heard his name, licking some ice cream off of his upper lip. Kit almost face palmed, until she remembered the ice cream in her hands. She set it down on the counter and grabbed a napkin. She then proceeded to take Stanford's free hand, and she opened up his palm, placing the napkin in it. Then she curled his fingers around it. "Use a napkin," she advised. "Or your sleeve, even."

He wiped off his face and Kit grabbed her ice cream and sat down next to him. "Why are you sitting over here? I thought you were avoiding me," she commented, voice cold.

"It's cold where I was, and it's warm over here. I'm not about to _freeze_, because then I won't get my _beauty _sleep," Stanford replied. "I'd much rather be partying, but oh well." Kit rolled her eyes.

"Your _beauty _sleep? Stanford, you're a trip," Kit replied, taking a bite of her ice cream. The red head looked at her curiously. "What? You've never heard that expression before?"

"No, I've heard that expression, but only from _old _folks," he replied, British accent thick. "Of course you did grow up around old people, so why am I surprised?" Kit raised her eyebrows. "Surprised that I remembered? I'm not as big of an idiot as everyone thinks I am, love." The brunette nodded and returned to eating her ice cream, a comfortable silence following afterward. She paused and finished off the bite of ice cream she currently had in her mouth.

"Stanford…you're not asking me to switch spots with you, are you?" she asked carefully.

"Well we can't sleep here together, I mean that would be messed up, no matter how attractive I may be," Stanford replied. Kit grimaced and then sighed.

"Fine, fine," she mumbled. "But you _are not _getting my blanket. That's my, uh, baby blanket… So yeah." Kit polished off the rest of her ice cream and ran back into the kitchen. A few moments later she came back out and grabbed her bag and blanket. Stanford finally realized what she had just said, and he started howling with laughter. "Oh…shut up!" she said, kicking the mattress. She walked to the other end of the diner and plopped down on the mattress, pulling her blanket over her head.

"Don't take it personally," Stanford said, as he calmed down a little bit. "It's just amusing, is all." Kit stuck her tongue out, but she knew Stanford wouldn't see it because of the blanket. She rolled over and made sure she was completely covered up. She listened to the music that was playing, but she didn't expect what was coming next.

She threw the blanket off of her and looked up at Stanford, who was standing over her with the sprayer from the sink. How he got it that far away from the sink, she wasn't quite sure. She realized what he was going to do. "No, Stanford, don't you dare-" she started her warning, but it was a little too late for that, as he cut her off… By spraying her with extremely cold water. "Stanford!" she growled, scrambling to her feet but he kept spraying her.

When he finally stopped she just stood there and glared up at him. He smirked and winked at her. "You…" She reached over the counter and grabbed the Coke squirter. Stanford froze and held up the sprayer from the sink. "Back off," she warned. The red head backed up a little bit. Kit smirked and stupidly lowered the "weapon" she had grabbed. In a split second, Stanford had raised his "weapon" and was now squirting her again.

Kit ducked and squirted him with Coke. He glared at her. "You started it, carrot top," she replied, holding up the weapon.

"Wha – now that does it!" Stanford declared heatedly, picking up a bottle of mustard.

"Oh my – you wouldn't!" Kit replied, squirting him again with Coke. He wiped the Coke off of his face and squeezed the mustard bottle. The yellow condiment got in Kit's hair. "That's my hair…" she said. Kit hated it when her hair got dirty, she herself could get dirty, but her hair was another story. "Oh, you're going to get it now, boy." She said this as she grabbed the bottle of ketchup.

"Don't you da-" Stanford didn't even get to finish his sentence. "That _really _does it." The two started squirting each other with soda, water, ketchup, mustard, hot sauce, and anything else they could find. By the time they were both tired out, they were _covered _in condiments and soda and water. The front part of the diner was messy, too.

"Zeke is going to fire me for sure," Kit said, laughing. She and Stanford admired the mess that they had made. "Can't believe we just did that." Stanford wiped some mustard off of his shirt and wiped it on Kit's forehead. He laughed when she glared up at him.

"That color suits you well," he said, smirking.

"Black and blue is about to suit you well," Kit shot back.

"Oh shut up," Stanford replied, squirting Kit with the last bit of ketchup. She pushed him and he slid into one of the booths.

"I'll be up all night trying to clean this up," she said with a heavy sigh. She doubted that Stanford was going to help her clean up. "Go make yourself look presentable. I have work to do." She took the sprayer from his hand and sprayed the wall with water, watching as the mess slid off. "Well, that was easier than I thought. But that's only one of the walls." Stanford had already disappeared, but he reappeared just moments later with two towels. He tossed one towel to the side and cleaned off his face.

It only took about an hour to clean the diner up, and Kit was a mess when she was finished. "Kit," Stanford called. He was sitting at the counter. The brunette turned around and raised both of her eyebrows expectantly. He tossed the other towel to her. "Make yourself look presentable." He smirked at her.

"Hah hah, very funny, Stanford," she replied, giving him a smug look. She wiped off her face and headed to the bathroom to get herself cleaned up real quick. Both parties had to change clothes, but the red head had done that an hour earlier. Kit came back out when she had finished cleaning herself up and changing her clothes. She walked to her spot, but the mattress was gone. "Stanford!" she growled, but when she turned around, she was surprised to see the mattress over on her original side.

Stanford was sprawled out on both of them, her blanket in hand.

"Move," she ordered. He did so, and gave her back her blanket. She waited for him to tell her to go back to her side, but he didn't. He just curled up with his blanket and closed his eyes, yawning once before settling in. "Wha…?"

"I guess I sprayed you enough with cold water, and if you get sick, it'll be my fault. So you can sleep on your mattress over here, next to the great- " – yawn – "-Stanford Isaac Rhodes IV." Kit nodded and lay down on her mattress, pulling her blanket over her. She put her hands behind her head and looked up at the ceiling. Stanford clapped his hands and the lights went off, but the music kept playing.

The storm was still raging on outside, and she couldn't sleep because of it. Mostly in fear of the power going out, but she wasn't as worried, with Stanford there. Whenever she was with someone else, she didn't worry about it as much. She hated being alone in the dark.

"Would you got to sleep already?" Stanford complained, opening his emerald green eyes just as a bolt of lightning flashed through the sky outside.

"How'd you even know I was still awake? I thought you were asleep…" Kit replied, eyeing him suspiciously. Stanford sat up and wrapped the blanket around him, yawning.

"I'm not asleep because I'm afraid you'll try to kill me in my sleep," Stanford replied.

"Well how do I know you won't kill me while I'm asleep?" Kit shot back.

"Because I just won't. I could consider it," he said with a smirk. "But it's not worth it." Kit scoffed and rolled her eyes. "What do you have against me?" She sat up and eyed him suspiciously for a moment. He shrugged. "I mean, I'm not _that _bad."

"You just get on my nerves is all," Kit replied, laying back down.

"Well, now can you go to sleep?" Stanford asked.

"Nah…"

"Wha – why not?"

"I've got some stuff on my mind."

"Like what?" Stanford asked, folding his arms across his chest. "You can tell old Stanford, it's not like I'm going to laugh – OK, it's not like I'm going to tell everyone – OK, just tell me so that I can try and get some sleep." He put on a mock face of sadness. "Don't you trust me?" His lower lip jutted out in the infamous puppy dog pout. Kit rolled her eyes. She avoided his big, green emerald eyes. "Fine, don't talk to me then." He lay back down and turned over.

"I've never been kissed!" Kit blurted out. Stanford hid under the blanket and started to shake. "Stop laughing, Stanford!" He burst out laughing, and he laughed so hard that he started to tear up. "Shut up! I'll give you something to cry about!" Kit exclaimed, punching him in the kidneys. He still kept laughing.

"You're twenty years old, and you've never been kissed! That's hilarious, wait until the rest of the group hears about this one," he said, laughing hysterically. Kit rolled her eyes.

"I knew I shouldn't have told you," she muttered under her breath, pulling the blanket over her head. "Stanford, keep saying this out loud, over and over again until you get it, alright? "I SOFA KING WE TODD DID." Got it?" The red head nodded and sighed, getting a hold of his laughter. He said it out loud, and after a few moments, he got it.

"I so… You dirty little girl," Stanford replied. Kit just laughed.

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So, what did you think? Tell me in reviews!

**Can anyone guess what Kit made Stanford say? **

**Remember, I read every review! -.o **

**Oh! And when Stanford and Kit paint the bike...what color should they use? **


	6. Chapter 6

**I own nothing, except for Kit! Thanks to E werewolf and Calm-Waters for helping me out! Enjoy! **

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The next morning, Kit stretched and tried to sit up. Her blanket was tangled all around her, so it wasn't really working. She also realized that something else was keeping her from sitting up. A heap in a blanket was on her mattress, with _his _head on her pillow. His spiky red hair was in her face, but she couldn't shift out of the way, because his whole left side was on top of her. Kit sighed in frustration, pushing Stanford in the face. How was she supposed to wake him up?

"Get up you heap of…Stanford!" she exclaimed, pushing him to the side. She scrambled up and pulled her blanket with her. He didn't even wake up. "I thought I was a heavy sleeper," she said, walking into the kitchen. It was early in the morning, very early, but she was in charge of opening the diner before Zeke could arrive. The brunette walked into the kitchen and started to set up so that she could make breakfast for two instead of just one. Knowing Stanford, he'd probably want to be waited on.

And she was a waitress, so it all worked out… Kind of.

Today, she was in the mood for bacon and eggs, which sounded good. She got the coffee started and contentedly fixed breakfast. The smell of the bacon was amazing… She finished a little while later, still intrigued by the fact that Stanford wasn't awake yet. It was still dark out, but she had flipped on all the lights. There was a still a storm going, and now that she was positive Stanford was asleep, she was a little worried. She clapped her hands, but he didn't wake up.

"Stanford!" she yelled. He didn't move. Kit face palmed and got up, walking over to the heap of blanket that acted as his cocoon. "Get up!" she said, kicking him in the side. He started and woke up, rubbing his emerald green eyes. He mumbled something that Kit couldn't make out. "Do you want break-" Before she could finish, the red head was on his feet and he was clambering over to the table. "Well, I guess that answers my question." She walked back to the kitchen where she had stashed her plate.

The red head wandered into the kitchen. "You aren't going to eat with me?" came the thick, British accented voice. Kit whirled around. The blanket was still wrapped around him, and only one arm was free. He almost looked innocent, and like he was a lost puppy.

"I didn't think you'd want me to," the brunette replied.

"I don't!" Stanford quickly replied. "I was just thinking that you'd get scared back here by yourself, what with the-" – a crack of thunder – "-thunderstorm going on." Kit didn't want Stanford to be right, but he was. She walked past him and sat down at the counter, instead of at the table. "I don't bite, love," Stanford added, pulling on a handful of her chocolate brown hair. She almost smacked him, but he sat down too fast.

"Well, you know what they say about all dogs, their bark is worse than their bite," Kit shot back. The red head rolled his emerald green eyes and went back to eating. Kit stopped eating for a moment, staring at the counter top. Stanford couldn't help but notice this. "Stanford…"

"Yes?"

"Do you remember what I told you last night?" Kit wondered out loud. The red head paused and thought – hard. Then a smile graced his face and he nodded. "No… I'm never going to live that down…" Stanford smirked and nodded. He wasn't about to even let her attempt to try and live it down.

After breakfast, and after both parties were cleaned up and dressed, Kit opened the diner. She just had to wait for Zeke to show up now. She sat in the kitchen, hiding. Today, she was wearing dark blue jeans and a gray t-shirt, with a charcoal gray hoodie on. She heard the kitchen door swing open, and soon she was joined by none other than Stanford.

"You know, I've never been kissed, either," he confessed, a little sheepishly. He had sworn up and down that he would never tell anyone that he had never been kissed, but apparently, he felt like he owed Kit the favor. He loved to annoy her, and since she was hiding at the moment, he couldn't do that. "But I'm only telling you because you need to go back to being the regular Kit, so that I can annoy you some more."

"You're just saying that," she replied, coldly.

"Am not," Stanford defended himself. _What am I doing? I'm actually admitting this to…to Kit! Of all people… _He didn't know why he was doing it, but he just was. "But if you ever tell Simon, I will personally run you down with the Reverb." Kit eyed him curiously, before deciding that he was telling the truth, which of course he was. "No, scratch that, if you tell anyone, I will-"

"-cry like a baby?" Kit finished off, smirking smugly.

"Wha – now that does it!" Stanford replied, as Kit jumped up. She tripped again, but managed to get out of the kitchen unscathed. Stanford ran after her, but she ran into the bathroom. She even locked the door behind her. "Open up this door, Kit," Stanford complained, banging on it. Then, it hit him. "I have an idea!" The door flew open and he fell in. He kicked it shut and locked it, leaning against it. "You're very stupid, for a smart person."

"Before you kill me – what was your idea?" Kit wondered out loud. Smug, emerald green eyes became sheepish, emerald green eyes. In all actuality of things, Stanford did have an idea. But it would make him look desperate. _It would make me look desperate if I even mentioned it! What am I thinking…? _But what did he have to lose? He could swear Kit into secrecy, by blood, if he wanted to get technical.

"Fine," he said, sighing frustratedly. Against his better judgment, that is. "Listen…neither of us have been kissed yet, and we're both well on our way into adulthood. However, now that we have this…dirty laundry aired out, we need to make sure it doesn't get out to anyone else. I was thinking, that maybe if we…kissed," he began, trying not to gag on the word kissed, "then we could tell people truthfully that we've been kissed. This way, my brother will stop nagging me about it."

"Fine," Kit replied. Stanford was a little surprised that it was that easy to get her to agree.

"Alright then…so, how do we go…about doing this?" he asked. The red head was good at dancing, but he was clueless when it came to kissing. Kit shrugged. She was just as lost as Stanford…well, maybe she had a better idea, of what needed to be done.

"Here," Kit started, taking Stanford's hands in hers. She was shorter than him, by about a good three inches, so she had to stand on her tip toes to reach him. He leaned down but they bonked heads. "Ow… OK, you go left, and I'll go right."

"We'll just hit our heads again," Stanford commented. "How about you go left and I'll go left." Kit nodded her agreement in a rather sheepish manner. She stood on her tip toes as he leaned down a little bit. Both parties had their eyes closed tightly, and finally, their lips met. It wasn't as bad as they'd expected it to be, and they just kept right on making out.

Zeke, along with Grace and the Battle Force 5 entered the diner. "Where's that girl?" Zeke wondered out loud.

Kit and Stanford broke apart, gasping. They clambered to open the door, stumbling over each other. They ran out of the bathroom. "Kit…Stanford…" Vert started. Stanford ran to the door as Kit ran into the kitchen.

"I've gotta go polish the Reverb!" Stanford said with a nervous laugh. He ran out of the diner, lickity-split.

"That was odd," Grace commented. She had a sneaking suspicion as to what had happened…

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What did you think? Tell me in reviews! Remember I read them all!


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks to everyone for reading, reviewing, faving, and alerting to this fic so far! I own nothing except for Kit, all others belong to their rightful owners. Enjoy! **

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For the next week, Kit did everything in her power to avoid Stanford. Since Stanford was stuck living in the diner, much like Kit, she forced him to sleep outside in the Reverb. He got up at the same time every morning so that he could get breakfast, and then she'd make him go and eat out in his car, even if it was pouring rain.

So, exactly one week after they shared their deepest secret, Kit was _forced _to be around each. The Battle Force 5 entered the diner, Stanford tagging along with them. Kit was in the kitchen, working like she had never worked before. Anything to get her mind off of _him_. Zeke was impressed with her new worth ethic, but he did find it a little fishy.

"Kit!" Grace called. "You need a break. I'll take care of everything today." Kit sighed and nodded. She sat down at the counter with her Ipod, except this time it wasn't in the stereo. She was listening to it on her own, using a fast song to drown out her mind. She focused hard on the words, which helped a little bit. Grace nudged the brunette in the ribs and nodded towards the group sitting in the booth. "Talk to them," she said, giving her a stern look. Kit rolled her eyes and ignored Grace.

Grace folded her arms across her chest and raised both eyebrows. "Kit, don't ignore me," she replied. She didn't get a response. "Kit! Answer me," she said, a little frustratedly. The brunette slid off of the stool and walked outside. She knew how to work the Reverb, because she had taken it on a joy ride once or twice without anyone knowing. She jumped in the top and closed it, hooking her Ipod up to the speakers. She turned it up as loud as she could stand and let the music wash over her.

"What's her problem?" Grace asked, shaking her head. "What did you do, Stanford?"

"Me? I didn't do anything," he replied, defensively folding his arms across his chest. "It was all her fault." And in his mind, it was, because she was the one who brought up the first kiss topic. And it was pretty logical, so he didn't really sweat the facts. He just wanted to act like everything was normal, but Kit was screwing everything over for him. Now was one of those times when he didn't really like her.

"It's been a week, and she's been avoiding you, Vert, Agura – everyone! She won't talk to me, obviously," Grace replied shortly. None of them had ever seen this side of Grace, but she had just about had it with Stanford's indifferent attitude. They were too busy arguing to hear the car pull up outside.

Kit couldn't hear it, because of how loud the music was blasting. She only realized someone was there when the top of the Reverb opened up and a red headed man of about 25 looked down at her. He had emerald green eyes, except his had little flecks of gold. It was uncanny, how much he looked like Stanford. "So, I see someone has already tried to take a joy ride in my brother's car, eh?" he asked, his British accent thick. His voice was a little different from Stanford's, but she was almost positive that this was Simon… Of course that was only her guess.

"Could you leave," Kit demanded, her voice lower than usual. Whenever this happened, it meant that she was seriously irked off about something. Or just in a terrible mood, and it was most likely the latter, in this case. The person she supposed was Simon Rhodes looked down at her with a smirk on his face. Oh, did he look like Stanford.

"What's with the sour attitude?" Simon asked, winking. Kit rolled her eyes and turned up the music. The red head smirked and walked into the diner. When the door opened, everyone heard the crazy loud music coming from outside. "That brunette out there is a feisty one," he commented, smirking in satisfaction at his brother's surprised expression.

"Tell me about it!" Grace complained, throwing her arms up in the air. The waitress walked back into the kitchen as Stanford sat back in his seat. His day was only getting worse. This just wasn't going to work out for him… Simon was about to start walking when Kit walked in.

"Did you move my bag?" she asked Simon, standing on the booth seat so that she was at his level. "It was behind the back tire, but when I got out of the car it was behind the front tire." Simon shrugged, because he had no idea what Kit was talking about. Well… He did, but that didn't mean he was going to tell her.

"What's the big deal?" Stanford complained.

"The bag has something of importance in it, and now it's gone," Kit replied, not even bothering to look at him.

"Why would I take it?" Simon responded. "Nothing _you _have would be of any importance to me." The brunette folded her arms across her chest and contemplated what to do next. She could A) Kick Simon's butt, or B) Interrogate the only other person who would've gone into her bag, Stanford. She doubted she would be able to beat Simon up, given as he was taller and more muscular than Stanford. And if Stanford had managed to pin her down, then Simon would be able to subdue her a lot quicker, and lot more efficiently.

Before the brunette could decide what she wanted and was going to do, Grace walked out of the kitchen. "Alright, don't anybody get worked up. Simon… Just give it to her," Grace told him. Kit's eyes widened as Simon fished around in his pocket and pulled out her gold heart locket. She looked at Grace in shock, and she was a little hurt, too. "I called Simon, basically to get you back into the diner. I figured that if I couldn't, then maybe Simon could, and I took the locket last night."

"Grace!" Kit replied.

"Yeah, Grace!" Stanford chimed in. "Why'd you have to use Simon?"

"I'm really sorry, Kit," Grace started in, ignoring Stanford for the moment. "I just wanted the regular you back."

"You think Simon will fix things?" Stanford snorted, fed up with being ignored. He stood up and took Kit by the wrist, leading her out of the diner. She jumped in the Reverb first, and the red head followed, getting into the driver's seat. He cranked up the music and shut the top of the Reverb, as Kit looked out the window. He pulled out of the parking lot, saying nothing.

Neither one knew where they were going, but it didn't matter. Kit was upset, and Stanford was angry. The red head just drove, trying to get away from Simon. That was the last person he wanted to see. Finally, the car came to a stop. Stanford sat back and turned down the music. Kit was looking at a picture in the locket. "What's so important about that locket?" Stanford asked. The thick, British accented voice startled Kit, but she recovered quickly and shrugged.

"I got it from my dad," Kit replied. "It has his picture in it, so it's really special for me." She showed him the picture. In it, was a blonde man with dark blue eyes, just like Kit. He was smiling vibrantly, and he looked just so full of youth.

"What happened to him?" Stanford asked curiously.

"He offered me a place to stay when I turned nineteen. So I moved in with him. But when I packed up and left… Well, that's the last I saw of him," Kit responded. She closed the locket and put it on. "Grace knows full well how much it means to me… You really don't like Simon, do you?" Stanford snorted and folded his arms across his chest.

"He thinks he's so much better than me, just because he's older and taller, and because he's 188th in line for the throne. Everyone loves him, and everyone always thought he was better looking, smarter, and more charming than I was," Stanford replied, shaking his head.

"I think he's unattractive," Kit replied. "I don't like his hair, and the flecks of gold just make his eyes look unnatural. It would work on anyone else except for him. If I had a choice, I'd pick you over Simon, anyday." _But of course, I don't have that choice, and I never will… _

"Why have you been avoiding me?" Stanford asked, out of the blue. "You're going to end blowing my cover." She scoffed and rolled her eyes. She was giving him a compliment and he totally ignored it. Stanford was such a fat head sometimes. You'd think he'd want to talk only about how great he looked in comparison to his brother, and Kit was actually telling him he was better looking. He noticed her pause, and said, "That kind of compliment isn't a compliment, coming from you."

"Oh my word, Stanford, you _are _an egomaniacal fat head!" Kit shouted in frustration.

"I am not," he replied. "If anyone is an ego maniac, it's you, love."

"I just complimented you and you have the nerve to throw it back in my face like that?" Kit demanded. Her dark blue eyes met his emerald green ones, but he just shrugged and smirked.

"Listen, Kit… I think that kiss has gone to your head," he started in, knocking his fist against her head. "I did that for my own personal gain, and now you think that I actually _like _you. I'm royalty, and you're just…well in theory, you're just a peasant. So how could I like you? Definitely not a match made in Heaven. Besides, compared to me, you're bland and plain." Kit punched him square in the face.

"Man, I should've talked to Grace first!" she exclaimed. She opened the top of the Reverb, and managed to somehow get Stanford out. She shut the top and drove away.

"Kit, wait! I'm royalty, you can't leave me here like that! Get back here! OW!" he yelled. His nose was bleeding at this point. "I hope your hand is broken!" He touched his nose. "My beautiful nose…"

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What did you think? Isn't Stanford being a jerk? Please tell me what you think in reviews!


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you to all the reviewers and readers! I own nothing except for Kit, as usual, and all else belongs to their rightful owners, as usual. Enjoy! **

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Kit reached the diner and walked in, more upset than angry now. "Where's Stanford?" Grace asked, looking around. She set down a few drinks on the table and looked over Kit's shoulder. The brunette sighed and pushed past her friend. She didn't want to talk to anyone right now, and she knew that there was a slim chance they would all be mad at her for leaving Stanford stranded out there. She headed straight for the kitchen and sat down at the counter, touching her locket once. She pulled it off and put it carefully in her bag.

"What do you think happened to Stanford?" Zoom asked, taking a sip of his drink.

"I bet Kit decked him!" Spinner announced. Everyone rolled their eyes. "What, it's just a theory." Simon was supposedly in the bathroom, but no one had paid him any attention after Kit and Stanford had run out. So the red head wandered into the kitchen where he found the brunette. Kit looked up and rolled her eyes, turning back to her book. She didn't want anything to do with Simon Rhodes.

"So, what _did _you do with my brother?" he asked, sitting next to her. She gave him an annoyed look and turned away. He turned the seat of the stool so that she was facing him again. "I know you did something, Stanford would never leave his precious car in the hands of a waitress." _They're all the same! _Kit thought-screamed. Stanford was exactly like his brother! "Well, I don't think it really matters what happened to Stanford," he said with a sigh, examining his hands.

Simon smirked and Kit wasn't exactly sure what he was doing. She figured Simon was a player, and she wondered if he was trying to flirt. Boys didn't flirt with Kit, so she wasn't very good at noticing when boys actually _were _flirting with her. "Really, don't you think I'm better looking? Stanford is the baby of the family, a pampered little boy, in comparison to me," Simon added. Kit snorted and rolled her eyes, looking back down at her book. The red head was a little annoyed, because usually he could charm the ladies easily.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and she shrugged him away. Kit glanced at him, getting a nervous sort of feeling. "Could you back off a little bit, Simon?" she asked, about ready to push him away. He looked thoughtful for a moment, before smirking.

"I could, but I won't," Simon replied. Before anything else could happen, a spoon hit the red head right in the temple. "Ow, what was that?" he asked, looking around. Stanford was leaning against the door frame, glaring at his brother. "Oh, it was only you, Stanford." The younger red head held up a fork. "You wouldn't do that to your older brother, would you now?" Simon asked, winking at Kit. She looked at Stanford, who nodded towards her. She smirked, closing her book. She raised it.

"Look to your left," Stanford advised, nodding towards Kit. Simon turned and – smack! – he was hit right in the face with Kit's book. And that book was a hard back book, too. His nose started to bleed. "Now, I suggest you leave the kitchen. Now." Simon glared at Kit and pushed his brother out of the way, forcefully, so that Stanford hit the wall with a relatively hard thud. The kitchen door was slammed closed behind the retreating Simon. Kit jumped up and hugged Stanford around the waist.

"Thank you," she whispered. He patted her on the back awkwardly. Kit looked up. "Oh!" she said in realization. She released her grip and walked into the bathroom, returning a few moments later with a wet cloth. She sat Stanford down on the stool and helped him out with his nose. He winced in pain. "You deserved it…" she muttered under her breath. He just sighed angrily and glared at her with emerald green eyes. "Do you think it's broken?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

"First, I want to know what happened with Simon," Stanford started.

"He basically tried to…flirt, I guess… Or, he tried to come onto me," she said, shrugging lightly. "I'm not usually flirted with so I don't know what to expect…wait, why do you care?" She paused slightly.

"I don't!" Stanford retorted curtly. "It's up to nobility like me to help the weak, much like yourself."

"You're jealous!" Kit said, smirking. She wiped up the blood and tapped his nose with the cloth. He hissed in pain, gritting his teeth together. "I don't know if it's broken…"

"Why would I be jealous?" The red head asked. "I don't like you. I explained my logic." Kit rolled her eyes and tossed the cloth into the sink. "I'll get Sage to take a crack at it," he added, tapping his nose. It hurt, but he didn't think it was broken. Kit nodded and they stood there for a moment.

"Thanks, Stanford. And… I guess I'm sorry for… You know punching you in the face," Kit replied, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Well then I guess I forgive you for punching me in the face. But if you do it again-"

"-you'll cry like a baby?" Kit finished his sentence for him, a hopeful smirk crossing her face.

"KIT!" Stanford shouted, as Kit scrambled out of the kitchen.

Later that evening, Stanford joined the rest of the Battle Force 5 for dinner at the diner, a little peeved that his nose was broken, but he wasn't too mad. At least now, maybe he would get some sympathy from people. Kit had returned to normal, playing music while working in the kitchen. Grace was still a little skeptical, but everyone else was just letting it be. Simon was sitting at the counter, awfully close to the kitchen. Stanford would never admit it out loud, but he didn't want Simon anywhere near Kit, for the simple fact that he didn't want his brother wrapping her around his finger.

Stanford knew that his brother was just a player, only dating girls for a few weeks, and then dumping them for someone prettier. He didn't need his brother showing him up – again. Stanford was busy thinking about all of this, when Grace tapped him on the shoulder. "Stanford!" she yelled in his ear. He cringed and shook his head, turning his emerald green eyes to her. "Would you go get my bag from the kitchen?" Stanford couldn't deny Grace's pretty, caramel brown eyes, so he stood up and headed for the kitchen.

When he stepped foot in the kitchen, his emerald green eyes shifted up and he barely had time to duck. Kit had swung her book at him. "Oh… I thought you were Simon," she replied, helping him up off of the ground. He glared at her, as she smiled up at him sheepishly. There was definitely no love lost between them, at least in his opinion. "Whaddaya need?" she asked, rubbing the back of her neck like before.

"I'm looking for Grace's bag," he replied. She nodded and moved aside. She hopped up on the counter and continued to read her book. Stanford finally found it, and when he spotted Kit he paused. _She does look kind of cute, I mean if you think about it… Wha – what am I thinking? _He shook his head, eyeing her suspiciously. She looked up.

"What?" Kit queried. "What are you staring at me like that for?"

"No reason," he replied, exiting the kitchen. _Stanford Isaac Rhodes! Remember! Royal blood and commoner blood doesn't mix! _He tapped his temple with his finger as he handed Grace her bag. She thanked him and he tried to flirt with her again, but Vert gave him a glare so deadly that he actually backed off. Apparently, those two were serious about their relationship.

Kit tossed her book aside and walked out of the kitchen, passing Simon and walking out of the diner. She needed some fresh air, before the next round of storms started up. The sky was tinged with orange, pink, and purple streaks. The air had the feel of rain to it, but it was relatively comfortable. Soon, she was joined by Stanford.

"Grace won't flirt back, and I just got the death glare from Vert," he commented, hoping to dump his problems all over Kit, thinking that maybe she would humor him and help him out. She snorted and rolled her eyes, glancing at him. "So you won't help me?" he pouted, folding his arms across his chest.

"I think you have bipolar mood swings," Kit replied, sort of out of the blue.

"Wha – what makes you say that?" he asked, thick British accent cracking on the word that.

"First, you're rude, then you're sweet, and then you're rude again, and then the pattern just keeps right on repeating itself," Kit explained, using obscene hand gestures.

"First off, sit on your hands so that I don't get smacked in the face. I don't want my beautiful nose injured anymore than it already is," Stanford replied. Kit rolled her eyes and motioned for him to continue. "And second, I think you're the one with bipolar mood swings. You do the same thing, you're sweet and then you're rude. It's disgusting, really." She punched him in the arm, lightly. He pushed her back, however it was in a playful sort of manner. She shoved him and he put her in a light headlock and ruffled up her hair.

She elbowed him and he pushed her again, so they started to stare each other down. Kit started giggling, unable to keep a straight face. "Hah! I can even beat you in a staring contest!" Stanford declared. Kit rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the sunset. "You know, something romantic could happen here," Stanford added. She found herself blushing deeply. "But you're just a peasant."

"STANFORD!" she growled, as he got up and ran into the diner laughing.

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Whaddaya think? Tell me in reviews! Stanford and Kit really have some love/hate relationship...


	9. Chapter 9

**Thanks to everyone! I own nothing except for Kit, all others belong to their rightful owners! Enjoy! Don't forget to review! I love reviews! **

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"Wake up, love! The sun came to see you!" Stanford said, in a sing song voice. Kit opened her dark blue eyes slowly, only to see…nothing. It was pitch black in the diner, as the shades were down. She couldn't even see the owner of the voice. Suddenly, the lights flicked on. She screamed and hid under the blankets, complaining about how the light hurt. "Well… Maybe not the sun, but I'm just as good, aren't I? Now get up, we've got a long day ahead of us!" Kit peeked out of her blanket.

"Whaddaya mean?" she asked, yawning. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. "It's still really early, Stanford." She mumbled most of this, but the red head could still catch it. "I wanna sleep…" She groaned and lay back down, curling up under the covers. Stanford had assumed that she was going to want to sleep, so he had come prepared. He pulled out a sling shot and fired a spoon at her. It hit the heap of blankets, but Kit felt it. She shot up, at least three feet in the air. "Stanford!"

"Are you awake now?" he asked, flashing a smile. Kit picked up the spoon and threw it back at him, but he avoided it. "You have horrible aim."

"I'll show you horrible aim!" the brunette replied, scrambling to her feet. She slid and fell, but managed to get back to her feet. "Why do I always slip and fall?" She sighed and tried to shove Stanford, but he grabbed her wrists and sat her down in the booth. "You suck."

"You're grumpy when you're tired," he replied, looking down at her with a smirk. "Now, if you're wondering what our plans for today are-"

"-_our _plans?"

"Yes, _our_ plans," Stanford replied, rolling his eyes. Kit nodded and rested her chin in her palm. She motioned for him to continue. "Our plans involve someone's not so trashy bike." Kit paused and thought for a minute.

"I don't understand. I'm slow in the morning. Please explain," the brunette asked, voice hoarse. Stanford face palmed.

"Your bike! The trashy motorcycle!" he replied, knocking on her head with his fist. She smacked his hand away in annoyance and nodded. "Sherman and Spinner finally finished working on it. After they show you exactly just what it can do, you and I will be painting it. What colors, love?"

"I don't know… You already have purple, Agura has green, Sherm and Spin have blue, and Zoom has that weird orange/yellow color," Kit replied.

"Well, I assumed you would be completely lost on colors, so I took care of that for you," Stanford replied with a nod. Kit grimaced and face palmed. Knowing Stanford, he probably picked colors she absolutely hated. He smirked at her worried expression. "Now can you cook me breakfast?" She stood up and tossed the blanket onto her mattress.

"I can, but why should I?" Kit responded, smirking at him, flashing a smile. He rolled his eyes.

"_Will _you cook me breakfast?" Stanford asked.

"Oh why not?" Kit answered, walking back to the kitchen. After hitting the bathroom to clean herself up, she pulled on baby blue, faded blue jeans, along with a white t-shirt, and a black hoodie. She walked back into the kitchen and started breakfast.

From the kitchen she heard Stanford yell: "Oh and make it snappy! You should attempt to beat my butler's record!" She glared at the door, shaking her head. Stanford turned up the music, so Kit at least had something to listen to while she was cooking. Her mind wandered, though, from subject to subject. She finally got a grip on things and finished breakfast, taking Stanford his, first. "Thanks," he said, before digging in. The brunette just rolled her eyes and walked back into the kitchen.

She brought her food out and sat down at the counter. "Why do you wear those sweatshirts-"

"-hoodies-"

"-hoodies, so much?" Stanford asked, forking a rather large piece of pancake.

"They're comfortable."

"They make you look fat," he said in between mouthfuls of pancake. Kit glared at him, resisting the urge to attack him with kitchen utensils. She'd probably end up in jail for assault charges, so she needed to relax. "Not that you are, but I wouldn't know, as I never see anything but the bloody hoodie itself." She rolled her dark blue eyes and flipped Stanford the bird. He did a double take as she winked at him. "You're a very strange person."

"It takes one to know one," she replied, polishing off the rest of her food quickly. The red head followed suit and Kit did the dishes. When she returned to the main part of the diner, Stanford was dressed in his regular attire. "Alright, let's get this crazy ordeal over with." She was first into the Reverb, with Stanford following right behind her.

It was a relatively silent drive, with neither party wanting to ruin the peaceful silence. Since peace didn't come around when you put Kit and Stanford together, this was a once in a life time opportunity. Stanford was beginning to go soft, though, because Kit didn't seem to annoy him as much as usual. He glanced at her, gaining a quick smirk. He rolled his eyes. He was definitely _not_ softening up to her.

They pulled into the base, only to be greeted by Sherman and Spinner. "I'll be setting up," Stanford said, giving Kit a two fingered salute. She rolled her eyes – she had been doing that a lot lately – and followed Sherman and Spinner to a small platform. The brunette watched as Sherman pressed a button on a control pad, and a totally tricked out motorcycle. There were thrusters and all the works.

"This is a little somethin'-somethin' that Stanford had us add," Spinner said, pressing another button on the control pad. The bike changed into a car, only slightly smaller than the Reverb. "He said something about a sound system, so we threw that in there, too. And you have lasers."

"Lasers?" she asked, staring at the car, as Spinner pressed the button to change it back into a bike.

"Yes, lasers. You'll be ready for battle, alright," Sherman commented, proud of his and his brother's work. "What do you think?" Kit squealed like a girl and attacked the Cortez brothers with hugs. "I'll take that as an 'I like it!'" Sherman and Spinner blushed slightly.

"I love it! I couldn't have asked for more," Kit replied, almost breathless. "Do you two know what colors Stanford has in mind?"

"We know, but he swore us into secrecy," Spinner replied.

When Spinner and Sherman dropped her off she was a little surprised. Stanford was attempting to break dance in the middle of the room. She face palmed and snickered, walking over to him. He fell flat on his face and looked up at her. "I was bored," he said defensively. She hoisted her taller counterpart to his feet.

"I see that," she said with a nod. "Now, what colors! Tell me tell me tell me!" She was shaking him like crazy. He put his hands on her shoulders and calmed her down first.

"Well, since all you wear are those hoodie things, I've been observing the colors you use. And I remember the first time I saw you, it was blue. And Sherman and Spinner begged me to use blue somewhere on the bike, so what choice did I have?" Stanford started with a light shrug. "And I personally think the color red suits you well, because you're a little ball of spit fire." He ruffled her hair as she winked up at him. "So I added the color red, and of course those are the colors of the British flag, that way you'll always remember me."

"I see. Are we done with the explanations?"

"Are you hyper?"

"If I say yes, can we start painting?" she asked, clasping her hands together.

"Sure."

"YES!" Kit exclaimed. Stanford laughed and the two got down to business. Both were focused on the spray painting, but Stanford paused and a light bulb popped over his head. (Not literally, but you get the picture.)

"Kit, love," Stanford called. The brunette looked up, both eyebrows rising. "Take that!" he exclaimed, spraying her with blue paint. She gasped and looked at the big blue splotch on her hoodie. Stanford smirked. She sprayed him right back, with red paint. "Hah! My hair is already red!" he replied. The two started spraying each other like crazy, creating purple somehow.

Kit had cornered Stanford and was going to do some serious purple damage to his hair. "Alright! Truce, we have to finish the bike before Vert runs in here and yells at us for covering half of the room in paint!" he said. She smirked and helped him up, but sprayed his hair in the process. He resisted the urge to return the favor, just this once.

They finished the bike soon afterward. The two purple/blue/red twenty year olds admired their work. It was the perfect mixture of blue and red. Miraculously, the bike hadn't gained any purple splotches. "Awesome. Just awesome. I'd say that I love you, but that would sound weird," Kit commented, nudging him in the side. He sprayed her hair, causing it to turn purple. "I'll take that as an 'I agree!'" Kit responded.

"Now let's hurry and clean this colorful mess up before we get busted by Vert!" Stanford said. Kit nodded and the two got down to business – again.

"Stanford, Kit, are you two almost finished-" Vert started, walking into the room. Both froze. "I'm going to go take some Tylenol, and I'm going to bed." Vert walked away from the scene.

Kit and Stanford high-fived and got back to work.

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What did you think? Review, please! I love Stanford! (Not in the weird way.)


	10. Chapter 10

**^Note: A bloused boot is when the bottom of the person's pants is tucked into the boot, and over laps over the top of the boot.^ I just wanted to clear that up in case anyone didn't know what it was, to avoid questions. **

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed and read so far! I own nothing except for Kit, and all else and all others belong to their rightful owners. Remember to review - as I say all the time, I read them all! Any and all reviews are welcomed! Enjoy! **

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The next few days came and went uneventfully, mostly with Spinner and Sherman kidnapping Kit and training her. She was a quick learner, and even though she managed to take Spinner down, she couldn't do that to Sherman. He was pretty big and in comparison she was pretty small. So Grace had taken over Kit's jobs, but she didn't mind. Stanford still wasn't allowed to move back into the base, which annoyed him. Today, he was sitting in the booth with Agura playing checkers.

Spinner and Sherman had disappeared with Kit before Stanford could even object. Agura made her move, but it backfired when Stanford used it to his own advantage. "I can kick anybody's butt at checkers," the red head commented, taking sip of his tea. Agura sighed in frustration. Just a few moments later, Kit walked in with the Cortez brothers. They were cracking jokes, and Agura smirked at Stanford's slight look of jealousy.

"I see you three have finally decided to eat when everyone else eats," Agura said in a teasing manner. The three sat down, Kit sliding in next to Stanford. Sherman sat next to her, so she felt even smaller than usual. "But I'm guessing you'll be going back to training after you eat, right?" They nodded. Stanford sighed, a little annoyed.

"Can't I get some time with her?" he asked. Kit just stared at him, like he had just said something completely screwy. Which in a sense, what he had just said _was _screwy. "You two have been with her for the past three days." He realized that everyone was staring at him. And then he realized what he had just said. "I mean… I don't have anyone to annoy! Agura is only good for games of checkers."

"Hey!" Agura said, smacking Stanford's arm. Stanford just shrugged.

"Yeah, I mean all ya had to do was say so," Spinner replied. Sherman looked smug as he nudged his brother. "Kit we'll pick up practice later on tonight, 'kay?" The brunette nodded as Grace came over to the table. It was pretty quiet after that, as Kit was thinking about what Stanford had just implied. She had always told her friend to make the first move, as boys didn't always want to be the first ones to speak about that sort of thing. So maybe she had to break the ice?

"Stanford, can we talk for a minute?" Kit asked. The red head nodded and followed her outside, where she leaned against the Reverb. She didn't exactly know how to go about any of this, but she had the idea in her head. It was a little difficult to put into words, though. 'I really like you, but you're such an idiot' was not something you could tell Stanford and expect him to take that gracefully. She chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully.

"Well…?" He was eager to hear what she had to say.

"How to put this lightly," she started. "Well… I really like you, Stanford. Like… _A lot. _So I was kinda wonderin' if….." She paused for a moment, before saying, "I'm not very good at this." She waited for him to respond, staring at the ground. "Uh… Stanford?" He seemed to be contemplating what to do after hearing this. What _he_ wanted to do was conflicting with what his _ego_ wanted him to do. The brunette was starting to get a little nervous, that was obvious. The red head sighed.

"It doesn't really matter what you're wondering," he replied finally, leaning towards her. Kit was a little surprised but she wasn't about to argue.

"I wonder what they're talking about," Sherman said out loud, looking at Agura and Spinner.

"They're probably making out," Agura replied. "I've just been waiting for them to get together. They hate each other, but I don't think they can go without each other, either. Kind of like ying and yang." Sherman and Spinner nodded their agreement. It made a lot of sense to them. They finished off the rest of their lunch and headed back outside. Agura snorted. "Hah, I was right." The red head and the brunette were indeed making out in the middle of the parking lot.

"Why did I so see that coming?" Spinner asked. The only person who didn't have a comment was Sherman. "Hey, kiddies, it's time to quit playing around. We've got battle zones to clear, remember?" Kit pushed Stanford away and blushed in embarrassment. The red head noticed the three standing there. "Vert needs to talk to us, let's go!"

The group headed back to the base where Vert was waiting with Zoom. "Sage just told me that there's a battle key on the Vandal's planet, so we need to suit up and go," Vert explained. Everyone nodded and did just that. Kit and Agura were the first ones ready, so they were waiting for the others to show up. Vert appeared next, along with Zoom. The Cortez brothers were next, and of course Stanford was the last.

"That's…different," Vert commented, looking Kit up and down. Instead of a suit, she was wearing cargo pants, black bloused boots, and an ivory colored, long sleeve sweater. Under the left sleeve of her sweater was a metal arm band, starting at her wrist and ending just a little bit before her elbow. It had the comlink on it. She also had a thick belt around on top of her sweater, around her waist. It was black. The brunette shrugged and waved his comment off.

"Different is good. Plus I need to feel comfortable," Kit responded. "And this works." She shrugged again.

When they arrived on the Vandal's planet, it was no surprise that Stanford was _already _complaining. "Alright, Stanford, relax. We'll get the battle key, and then we'll split," Vert said, trying to get a lock on the key. "It looks like it's just up ahead, and it looks like the Vandals haven't spotted it yet."

"Then let's go!" Stanford replied, popping back into the Reverb. He and Zoom started forward, but Agura and Kit hung back.

"Stanford, don't you think that you should slow down and make sure that there _aren't _any Vandals around?" Sherman asked, as Spinner looked over his shoulder.

"I'm perfectly fine," the red head shot back, ignoring Sherman's words of wisdom.

"Did your mother drop you on your head and feed you a bottle of stupid juice?" Agura asked Stanford. A snort came in as his reply. "Stanford! You need to watch your back on this planet, remember? You're the one who kept getting himself into trouble the last time we were on this planet!" Kit smirked and rolled her eyes, following the Buster Tank.

"Stanford, this is a little suspicious," Kit started in. "I mean… You'd think these Vandal guys would be pouncing all over that key, especially since it's their turf." The others sounded their agreement. She did find it a little odd that they were all alone. It seemed…eerily quiet. Stanford was ahead of the group, already closing in on the key.

"Piece of cake," the red head said with a smug smirk on his face. However, right before he could get a hold of the key, Hatch, Kalus, Krocomodo, and Sever flew out of the nearby foliage. Stanford just barely avoided getting hit, but he couldn't grab the battle key. "OK, maybe it's not a piece of cake…" Sever spun around and went after Stanford, who booked it out of the way.

Kit disappeared in the bushes for a minute, getting out of Kalus' sight. The latter looked around, and a flash of blue and red went by. In a split second, the key was gone. "The thrusters were definitely a good idea, little bro," Spinner commented. Sherman nodded.

"Definitely, big bro."

"Wait, so Kit got the key?" Stanford asked, a little too loudly. Kalus turned and pointed into the forest. Sever and Hatch retreated and went after Kit.

"Stanford!" Agura half-shouted.

"Sorry! Don't get all mad at me! I was just confirming what Spinner and Sherman were babbling on and on about! Blame them for not remembering that I have a big mouth!" Stanford replied, trying to shift the blame from himself to someone else.

"Well talking isn't going to help anything," Vert cut into the conversation. "We have to make sure she keeps the key!"

Kit was holding her own fairly well. Currently, she was hiding from them. She held her breath as she listened to Sever and Hatch drive by. They were talking in low voices, but it was hard to understand, either way. She didn't dare move a muscle, after all, shark-hybrid things have a wicked sense of smell. Krocomodo rolled up behind them, followed by Kalus. She listened as they passed…they were almost gone…she was almost finished… Suddenly her foot slid and a twig cracked. She knew she'd get caught, so she got rid of the key.

Before she had time to move to get away, Sever and Krocomodo were right there. "Busted," she said, looking up with a nervous half-smile. They picked her up and headed back to Hatch's lab. "This job sucks." She folded her arms across her chest, crossing her fingers. The Cortez brothers were smart – they'd find the key…right?

Stanford and Zoom pulled up a few minutes later, looking around. "Where are they? They can't just disappear like that," Zoom said, as the others rolled up. Spinner peeked out of the Buster Tank and pointed. Zoom caught sight of the bike and walked over to it. "Huh… They must have her – and the key…"

Sherman pushed his older brother over a little bit and appeared in the dim light of the forest. "Check the thrusters," he advised. Zoom looked down and looked inside. Sure enough, jammed in there just far enough so that you couldn't see without looking closely, was the battle key.

"She shoved it into the thruster?" Stanford asked, appearing out of the top of the Reverb.

"Apparently, girls _are _smarter than guys," Agura said with a smirk. "Now we just have to find Kit."

"Where would she be? This planet is huge, and we don't know where all of Kalus' hideouts are," Zoom replied. "They could be anywhere."

"Where would they go with a human…?" Agura wondered out loud. Vert popped back into the Saber.

"Follow me!" he quickly said, peeling down the path that had been cut through the trees.

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	11. Chapter 11

**Short but sweet! **

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Kit smirked and sat back, watching as Hatch walked around his little lab, trying to find something to ease the pain of his hand. She had almost managed to hijack his car, and she had run over his claw-hand thing in the process. However, Sever and Krocomodo subdued her before she could escape. She had her fingers crossed, in hopes that they found the key jammed in the thruster. She had always loved thrusters, and if there was one thing that T.V. taught her, it was that they could come in handy for other things besides speed.

"So, how should I experiment on you, little lab rat?" Hatch asked, his voice vile. Kit frowned and raised her eyebrows. _That _was nowhere in the job detail.

"I don't think you'll have any time to do any experimenting," the brunette replied, although she was a little nervous. It had been at least an hour since she had been captured, and she had been here for at least thirty minutes. This was just plain _stupid._ She folded her arms across her chest as she remembered that she was locked in a cage. Hatch pulled a needle out of a drawer and filled it with some crazy green liquid. "Um, what is that?" Kit asked, backing further into the cage.

"I don't really know," Hatch replied in a blissful tone of voice. He approached the cage slowly…

"Can't that tank of yours go any faster?" Stanford complained over the comlink. Sherman resisted the urge to face palm, while Spinner gave a witty reply.

"Can't that stupid Reverb of yours be a little quieter? We don't wanna alert those goons that we're coming!" Spinner shot back, looking over his brother's shoulder. They were coming up close to the lab, (they had been there once before, when Zoom had almost died and the antidote was in Hatch's lab) and soon it came into view. They pressed into the darkness so that they would stay hidden. "What should we do, Sherm?" Spinner asked, looking at his brother with curious olive green eyes.

"I think the best thing to do would be to come with a way to sneak into the lab, so that we could subdue Hatch and then rescue Kit," Sherman replied, shrugging once.

"Sneak into the lab? Subdue Hatch? I got it, Sherm!" Spinner declared. He popped out of the top of the Buster Tank and pulled out one of his strange little hand grenades, except of course they're larger than regular hand grenades.

"No, Spinner wait!" Sherman started, but it was a little too late for that. The shorter boy tossed the grenade forward, and it landed with a thud. He popped back into the tank as it prepared to explode. "I didn't mean for you to throw a grenade at the lab! We're not trying to _kill _Hatch, we're trying to subdue him!" Spinner's mouth made a little 'o' shape. Suddenly – BAM – it exploded, taking out half of the leafy green lab with it.

Luckily, Hatch was thrown into the wall, and the cage bars melted. "I'll have to thank whoever did this later," Kit replied, taking the needle from Hatch. She jabbed it into his side and he yipped in pain. "Guess you get to find out what that does, first hand!" She turned and ran out of the smoking lab, coming out just in time to see Stanford peering over the top of the Reverb.

"Spinner! You didn't screw up and kill anyone!" Stanford declared, popping back into the car. The brunette was covered in soot but she looked unscathed. Spinner jumped out of the Buster Tank and walked over to her. Stanford reappeared and followed Spinner to the brunette. The younger of the two Cortez brothers clambered up and looked over the top.

"I see Stanford was worried," Vert commented, smirking slightly. The red head wiped some soot off of Kit's face as he said this.

"Yeah, but he's only worried so that he can save his own skin," Agura snorted, rolling her eyes. Sherman sighed and disappeared back into the Tank, not a comment coming to mind. And if one did, he wouldn't voice it. "Look at them, ugh, this was what I was dreading. They'll get all gushy on us now."

"OK, enough kiddies," Spinner interjected. "C'mon Kit, let's get you into the Tank."

"Whoa, whoa, she can ride in the Reverb," Stanford replied, stepping between Kit and Spinner. The shorter boy folded his arms across his chest.

"Stanford, she's covered in dirt. You really want that all over the Reverb's interior?" Spinner asked, giving the red head with the emerald green eyes a skeptical look.

"Umm… Fine, you take her, then," he replied, stomping back to his car. Kit followed Spinner towards the Buster Tank, where the top opened again and Sherman appeared. He outstretched his hand and helped her up onto the top so that she could get in. Spinner crawled up after her. Stanford looked a little annoyed as the brothers disappeared into the Tank as well.

"What, you won't help your brother into the Tank?" Spinner teasingly asked as they closed the top.

"Spinner, you're supposed to act like a gentleman," Sherman replied, as Kit looked on in amusement. "Plus, you only weigh 110 pounds, and you know how to climb up. She doesn't." The younger of the two Cortez brothers nodded towards the brunette. She had a surprised look on her face.

"Oh wow, he's lighter than me," she mumbled. Kit wasn't fat, she was just built for sports and physical exertion. She weighed an average of 145 pounds, but nobody could tell. She sat next to Spinner, since he was so small. "Alright, you guys got that key?" Kit queried, looking at them both curiously.

"Right on the front," Spinner said, pointing. However, just as he said this, Kalus drove by and stole the key. Kit smacked Spinner upside his spiky haired head.

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Review, please! Please!


	12. Chapter 12

**I own nothing, except for Kit. All others belong to their rightful owners. Note Number 1: The summer camp experience that Kit explains is one of my own personal experiences... I am deathly afraid of sharks, and Sever kind of freaks me out. Note Number 2: Kit's anger in this chapter pretty much reflects how angry I am right now. -.- There are only three chapters left until the first chapter of the sequel is posted. :D Thanks to all who have read thus far! **

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Kit and Spinner were arguing like siblings in the back seat of the Buster Tank. After she had slapped him, he had gotten a little upset. Sherman was amused more than anything else, so he let them duke it out by themselves. "Sherm!" Spinner whined, trying to get his brother's attention. "Can't you do something? She's your girlfriend!" Sherman hit the brakes but sped back up, a little surprised by his brother's words. "I mean, friend that's a girl. You know what I mean." The older boy grinned.

"Right, well she's your…"girlfriend" too," Sherman replied, rolling his eyes as he followed after the Reverb. Before Spinner or Kit could say anything more, the red headed driver of said Reverb came over the comlink, annoyance clear in his voice. Of course, Stanford was always annoyed, whether it be with the way things were being run, or how fast the pizza was being made.

"Whoa, whoa, if Kit is anyone's girlfriend, it's me," Stanford shot back.

"Relax, Stanford," Spinner replied, waving off the comment. "Dude, you don't have to call dibs on her."

"She's mine!" the red head growled back.

"Stanford, hush!" Kit interjected, making a cutting motion through the air with her left hand. The brunette continued by saying, "Since when did I become an object? And since when did we become a couple? Last time I checked, we were still frenemies that made out once. One time, carrot top." Kit sat back in her seat and smirked. There was silence on the other end for a while. "So, that's all it takes to shut you up? I was expecting a witty comeback." She paused and waited for the response.

"Well Sherman is trying to make a move by being all nice!" Stanford finally replied.

"What? That's crazy. Stanford, get over yourself. Just because Sherman knows how to be polite and keep quiet doesn't mean you have to make false accusations," Kit responded, folding her arms across her chest.

"Fine, fine, alright. But you defend them like they're your brothers!" the red head mumbled. Kit face palmed.

"Stanford, I really wish I was in the Reverb right now."

"Why?"

"Because I'd love to ruin the interior."

"Ruin the – wha – now that does it!" Stanford angrily replied. "I'm going to stop talking before I say something I'll regret." It appeared that Stanford had then turned off his comlink, and he sped up a little bit. Sherman looked apologetically at Kit, who just shook her head. She patted him on the shoulder reassuringly.

"Don't worry about it," she said, sitting back in her seat again. "Stanford is just being Stanford. He and I are not a couple, not yet. I want to make sure it won't come back to bite me. I'm not stupid, I won't rush into things. Unless it's battle but you know that's a totally different story." She smirked slightly as they sped up a little bit. They were coming up close to Kalus, Krocomodo, and Sever. "Just…don't let Sever get anywhere near me, or the Tank…"

"Wait, you're afraid of Sever?" Spinner asked.

"I'm afraid of all sharks," she muttered under her breath. "I just… At summer camp, I tried kayaking out on the lake, but I had a panic attack and the counselors had to coach me back to the shore. I kept thinking this huge great white was going to y'know…come…come up and eat me, alright? And bull sharks…bull sharks can survive in fresh water, and those things are aggressive towards humans…"

"Don't worry Kit, Sever won't get anywhere near you," Sherman reassured her.

"I still don't feel safe," the brunette voiced. "Don't be insulted, I'm just… Yeah, I'm just that way."

"Still, Kit! My little bro can protect you, no sweat!" Spinner replied, clapping the younger of the two Cortez brothers on the shoulder. Just as they said this, Krocomodo slammed into the Buster Tank. However, not much happened. "You're cool with crocs, right?" the spiky haired boy asked as the Tank rammed into the offending Vandal. Kit nodded. "Good." The brunette looked out at the Vandal that reminded her of Killer Croc from Batman.

"Guys, he's got the key!" she said pointedly.

"Huh?" Sherman and Spinner asked in unison. They both looked and realized that Kit was right. Before they could do anything, Zoom flew past and snagged the key. Zoom booked it to the front of the line, catching up with Vert. The two kept pace and tried to out speed Kalus. Hatch was nowhere in sight, but nobody really cared. Krocomodo abandoned the Buster Tank and went to help Kalus.

Vert sped up but Kalus shot out his spear and pulled the Saber back, as Krocomodo regained the key. Kalus then proceeded to push the Saber into the Chopper, so Vert and Zoom spun out and collided near one of the trees. Stanford put the pedal to the medal and charged after Krocomodo. Using a sonic blast, he blew Kalus out of the way and managed to get the key back in the Battle Force 5's possession.

"Where's Sever?" Kit queried, looking around nervously. Before Spinner or Sherman could answer, something slammed into the Buster Tank. "What was that?" Sherman steadied the Tank as Spinner shrugged his shoulders. "If Hatch is still stuck in the lab, and Krocomodo and Kalus are up there… Then the beast hitting the side of the Tank is Sever!" And indeed it was Sever, trying to drive them right off of the path. "Would you…uh… HIT THAT THING!"

"OK, calm down," Sherman said quickly, as Sever slammed into the Tank yet again. He pushed back as Spinner looked over his shoulder. Kit was looking out the windshield.

"Um, guys!" she said, her voice panicked. "Hatch has the key!" Sherman pushed Sever out of the way, causing the shark hybrid to spin out and hit a tree, knocking it down. He got the Buster Tank back on track and saw what Kit had seen. "He must've gotten out of the wall…" Hatch had something hooked up to his vehicle, and Sherman realized what it was. "How'd he get a bazooka on that piece of crap car?" Kit asked out loud.

"Does it matter? We'll all die if he shoots us!" Spinner screamed. Hatch laughed evily and shot the bazooka. Everyone in the Buster Tank screamed, but at the last second, Sherman pulled the Tank out of the way of the shot. It hit the tree and said tree exploded, sending wood chunks splintering all over the place. They rained down on the Tank, but it barely did any damage. "Go Sherman, go!" Spinner shouted, his voice high and girly, because he was so terrified.

Hatch shot again but it missed and blew a chunk out of the ground, sending dirt flying all over everyone and everything in its path. He realized that Sherman was a skilled driver, so he turned around and burst away, hoping to escape with the key. Stanford was watching the scene, not bothering to help Spinner, Sherman, or Kit at all. He turned his comlink back on. Kit saw this and was furious. "Stanford you egotistical jerk! Sherman, Spin, and I almost died!" she said, her voice cracking at the end.

"You were fine," came the reply. Kit wanted to hit something.

"If it helps you can hit me," Sherman commented, glancing back at her. She took the opportunity in full stride and punched Sherman as hard as she possibly could in the arm. "Did it help?"

"A little bit," she replied, folding her arms across her chest. "Stanford… Just when I think you're not so bad…" She sighed frustration. "Screw you Stanford. Let's get the key back from Hatch and get off of this planet! Before we get attacked by another insect-lobster thing with a bazooka!" Kit suggested. Sherman and Spinner nodded their agreement. Stanford popped back into the Reverb and followed after the Buster Tank, as the Tangler, the Saber, and the Chopper all followed suit.

"Oh and Stanford? Just leave me alone..."

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Review, please! I'd love to know what you think!


	13. Chapter 13

**Thanks to all of the reviewers. I've never had this many reviews for a story before. Only two chapters left after this one. Then the sequel! I own nothing except for Kit, and all else and all others belong to their rightful owners. Enjoy, and don't forget to review! **

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"Just ignore Stanford," Spinner told Kit. The brunette was quiet, but both brothers could hear her grinding her teeth together. She looked straight ahead, glaring. She knew she's lash out at them if she talked, and she didn't want to make them think it was their fault, when it clearly wasn't. The oldest Cortez boy sighed and glanced at his brother, who shrugged and returned the gesture. "We have to hurry, Sherm!" Spinner added, changing the subject. "We're running out of time." Suddenly Kit gasped.

"What if Hatch is leading us away from the portal?" Kit asked, dark blue eyes wide. Sherman looked thoughtful for a moment.

"It _is_ logical," he finally replied. "We'll have to watch our backs." The brunette nodded, fear creeping in slowly. She got quiet, and lost her angry expression. "Kit, if you're worried about the shark Vandals, I think you should know that there's no safer vehicle than the Buster Tank." Sherman couldn't help but smirk, he _was _proud of the Tank. She sighed and nodded, but there wasn't really any talking her out of it. They kept driving, tailing Hatch. They had a feeling that the insect hybrid had a plan.

"I'm gettin' a bad feeling…" Spinner voiced, as they came upon a large coliseum. Kit went stock still when they followed Hatch in through the dark tunnel. They could see the light and suddenly they emerged into an arena, filled with cheering Vandals. "It's…it's like they think we're gladiators…" Sherman hit the brakes and tried to turn around, but the gate closed just before the others could get through.

"And I thought Spin was an idiot!" Kit mumbled, smacking Sherman on the arm. He looked a little sheepish as he realized his mistake. "What are we gonna have to fight…?" Sherman, Kit, and Spinner turned their attention to the windshield, where they watched numerous Vandals come out of the different entrances, the gates closing behind them. Most…where shark Vandals. Kit almost had a spaz attack, climbing into Spinner's lap and climbing all over him trying to get herself away from the windshield.

"Uh-oh," Spinner mumbled. He made a squeak sound as the Vandals surrounded them. "Alright, Sherm, you're the smart one…" The younger of the two gave him an almost-annoyed look. Sherman turned around and tried to think of something to do. Suddenly the comlink came to life with Vert's voice.

"Guys, we're stuck in the tunnel leading to the arena. The gates closed on the other side. Got any ideas? Stanford can't blast through it with his sonic pulses, and I can't cut through it. Agura hasn't had any luck trying to pry it apart, either… We're screwed unless you've got something on your mind," Vert said, a hint of nervousness in his voice. "We're counting on you three." Sherman nodded as Spinner made a girly, shrill sound in the back. Kit gasped again and clambered into Sherman's lap. She put both hands on his shoulders.

"Sherman, doesn't the Buster Tank have those weird grenade thingies?" the brunette asked. He nodded once, open to any ideas. "We can throw one of those to blow up the gate. Then we can get out, and blow up the second gate. It shouldn't be that hard; I mean those gates are huge…" A smirk spread across Sherman's face. She clambered back into the back with Spinner.

"Kit, you're a genius!" Sherman replied. "The only issue is that if Spinner misses, we'll blow up the coliseum and we'll all be crushed. Got any bright ideas to fix that problem?"

"That part, I haven't quite worked out," Kit replied, rubbing the back of her neck. Spinner and Sherman traded glances. "The only way would be for one of us to get out of the Buster Tank and place the grenade on the gate itself…" She was deep in thought until she realized that both sets of olive green eyes were resting on her. Then she realized what they wanted. "Uh, no."

"Uh, yes," Spinner replied. "Hey guys, back up from the gate, get as far away as possible!"

"Got it!" Vert replied back, as the team pulled back all the way to the first gate. Kit shook her head.

"No… Not happening! If I go out there, I'll have another panic attack!" the brunette exclaimed animatedly, using her wild hand gestures. Only a few minutes later, she was sitting atop the Buster Tank with the grenade in her hand. Sherman opened the top up again and looked up at her. "I hate you, Sherman Cortez," Kit said, anger rolling off of her in great waves.

"I know," Sherman replied with a sigh, smiling slightly. "Now, all you gotta do is run to the gate, put the grenade on, and run back. We'll let you back in the Tank no sweat, and we'll cover you." Kit sighed and looked around nervously. They looked like very hungry sharks… Sherman could see that she was obviously scared, so he comfortingly placed a hand on her right hand. She looked down at him with terrified, dark blue eyes, but he just gave her the same crooked Sherman smile. "I know you can do it. If you can shove a battle key in a thruster on a motorcycle, than this should be a piece of cake." He winked and lingered for a moment, before dropping back into the Buster Tank and closing the top.

"Alright," Kit sighed. "Let's do this…" She slid off of the Tank, slamming her fist against it once in frustration and fear. They circled a little closer. Kit was frozen in fear. The top of the Buster Tank opened and Sherman appeared. She looked up at him sheepishly. "Dude, I can't do it."

"Yeah you can. If you can beat up Stanford and verbally abuse him more than Agura, I think you can take care of a few sharks," Sherman reassured her. The brunette heard Stanford yelling through the comlink. She looked down at the grenade. "Kit, if you wanna die than you can stand there." She gave him a glare but looked at the gate. "Ready?" Sherman asked. She nodded once. He grabbed the top of the Buster Tank and yelled, "Go!" and dropped back into the Tank. Kit tore across the arena field.

"I'm slow, how did I get stuck with this job?" she asked, but she was running like a bullet straight out of a pistol. In no time, she was at the gate. She slammed the grenade against it and turned around. "Aw crap!" she yelled loudly, as the sharks got closer. "Stupid fear of water and deadly sharks!" she complained, ducking out of the way. She almost tripped, but since she was running purely on adrenaline, she made it back to the Buster Tank, clambering over the side and onto the top. Spinner pushed it open and she dropped in, closing the lid behind her.

"See, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Sherman asked.

"That SUCKED!" Kit yelled. "What happened to 'We'll cover you'?"

"Well I assumed you'd move faster if you were terrified," Sherman replied. Kit didn't smack him this time, but she sure as heck wanted to. "Now, it should explode, right about-" But then the gate kerploded. Sherman put the pedal to the medal and drove in, coming to the first gate with the rest of them. He checked his scanners. "Uh, we have to do this quick. The coliseum took some structural damage from the explosion!" Vert and the rest of the BF5 pulled back as far as they could, holding off the Vandals.

Spinner hopped out this time and placed the grenade, running back to the Tank. He jumped in as Sherman skidded around and drove back to the others. Suddenly, the explosion came and blew the gate clear off. The group flew out of the coliseum as it began to shake. Vandals fled, but Hatch must've gotten caught when the coliseum collapsed. Sherman checked the scanners once more. "Hatch is somewhere in the rubble with the key," he announced. Kit took a deep breath and jumped through the top. "Kit, no, wait!" But it was a little too late for this, because the brunette was clambering down the side.

She ran into the dust and didn't come out for a good ten minutes. "We have to go back in," Agura groaned.

"No we don't!" Spinner shouted. He was watching Sherman's scanners. "Something is bringing the battle key back out." The dust had engulfed all of the cars, and when they felt something climb onto the Buster Tank, they were sure it was a Vandal, but they looked down at the scanner again. Another, louder thud smacked against the top of the Buster Tank. "What is that?"

Stanford was closest to the Buster Tank, and they couldn't open the top of the Tank because the two figures and the Battle Key were on top. "Stanford, what is it?" Sherman asked. He couldn't quite get a lock on what it was, but he had a bad feeling about it. There was long pause on the other end. Finally, the weapons specialist answered, dully.

"It's Kit and Hatch with the battle key," he replied. Sherman and Spinner gaped as they looked at each other.

"Help her!" Spinner shouted.

"Why?" Stanford snorted. Sherman and Spinner traded annoyed glances, but something hit the windshield and rolled off. The top opened up and Kit dropped in, covered in dirt, soot, and dust, with the battle key in hand. She thrust it towards Spinner.

"Put it on the hood, I'm not going back out there!" she said breathlessly. Spinner nodded and clambered out of the Buster Tank, letting the key connect with the hood. He climbed back in and closed the top, as he and Kit took their seats. "I'm going to beat the crap out of Stanford…" Spinner paused. "He wouldn't help me… Oh he's so going to get it…" Sherman started up the Buster Tank, as Spinner sighed in relief.

"Guys, we have the key," Sherman said, and sighs of relief came over the comlink. "Let's get out of here."

On the way to the portal, Kit was silent. Both Sherman and Spinner could tell that she was upset more than anything else, because Stanford had abandoned her in her greatest time of need. They wondered if she would cry, but she didn't. She basically just sat there, eyes on her boots. Something was going through her mind. Something majorly serious.

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	14. Chapter 14

**One chapter left after this one! I own nothing except for Kit! How to pronounce Kit's real name, you ask? Ku-CHIN-skee. Enjoy! All else belongs to their rightful owners. **

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The following few days brought on an air of jealousy, mostly on Stanford's part. It was pretty much jealousy that drove him to act that way, but since he had such a big ego and too much pride, he wouldn't admit it, and he wouldn't take back what he said. In his mind, most of it was true, anyways. Spinner had counted the days since they had actually seen Kit; it had been four days since they had been on the Vandal's home planet, and it had been four days since they had seen the brunette.

That morning marked the fifth day they had not seen her.

Spinner marked a big red 'X' on the calendar. He tapped his bottom lip with the sharpie for a moment before tossing it onto the nearby table. He examined the calendar for a little while longer, until his brother's voice broke him away from the glossy pages. "You should do something to take your mind off of things," Sherman advised, as he checked the Buster Tank over for the first time that morning. He paused and looked back at his older brother, who looked like he was thinking pretty hard. "Don't hurt yourself," the younger added, turning back to the Tank.

"I won't, Sherm! Now listen up, Grace doesn't know where Kit is. Neither does Zeke, and Stanford sure as heck doesn't! What if she left town?" Spinner asked. "And don't ask me why, I don't know how girls think, little bro." Sherman paused, turning to look back at his brother. It did make sense, of course Kit would've at least contacted one of them, or even Grace, for that matter. "We should look for her."

"Maybe she's just in the city," Sherman offered as Sage's voice filled the room. "We'll look for her after we finish in this battle zone. We've still got a job to do."

"But we can't go without her!" Spinner pouted. "She got the battle key last time! What if we're in the same situation?"

"Spinner, the chances of that happening are one in a million," Sherman replied, trying to look at things from the calmest, most logical viewpoint. He had to be the grown up in most of the situations they were in. Sometimes he had to act as the older brother would, but he never forgot that he was younger than Spinner. "Let's go, we need to hurry." Spinner sighed and nodded as they both headed to the secret underground base.

Meanwhile… "Aww, seriously Kit, just ignore this Stanford guy," Kit's friend, Kendra commented. "I'll kick his butt for you."

"Nah, I can kick his butt just fine," the brunette replied, looking at her friend thoughtfully. "Kendra, I just need your opinion."

"On what, exactly? I've given you my opinion on all other things concerning this subject," the other brunette snorted. She smirked and added, "But you're like a sister I never had, so I'm always gonna look out for ya and give you my opinion when you need it." Kit nodded and smiled gratefully, she and Kendra were closer than Kit was to her own brothers. Of course her brothers were still only little boys, because there was a rather large age difference between them. "So, go ahead and ask away, Twin."

"Well, you know how I mentioned Sherman and Spinner?" Kit asked.

"Only every other sentence," Kendra retorted, smirking. The dark blue eyed Kit glared at her. "Sorry, sorry, I just had to say that. Continue." Kit huffed but nodded.

"So, I'm not sure… I don't know… I can't quite get the words out," Kit said sheepishly. Even though Kendra was her best friend, she had a hard time talking about this kind of thing with her, even though they had talked about it since they were thirteen. She sighed and shook her head, rubbing her temples angrily.

"This Sherman guy sounds like he has a thing for you. Is that what you're trying to bring up?" Kendra supplied, waiting patiently for her friend to answer. Kit nodded with another sigh. "Well then go with him. I mean he sounds a lot nicer and better for you." The blue eyed brunette met her friend's gray green eyes. "What? Why are you giving me that look?" asked Kendra.

"That's not my point. What am I supposed to do about Stanford?"

"Forget Stanford for a minute, Katczinsky!" Kendra all but shouted, slamming her fist down against the table. Kit jumped at the sound, as the small café they were in quieted down. Kendra only used Kit's full name when she was extremely angry or upset, and now was one of those times. However, Kendra called it "mildly irritated" but oh well. The people began to chatter again as Kendra sat back in her seat. "You're always so blind when it comes to these sort of things."

"I'm sorry! Not my fault, we went to school with the same people for nine years, so of course no one was ever interested," Kit replied. "But you'd think I would've learned in high school, y'know? Even though I had dates here and there all throughout high school, I'm still lost with this. Remember, I may have book smarts, but that doesn't mean I have any common sense." Kendra snorted.

"That's for sure." Kit rolled her eyes and took a sip of her coffee. "Listen Kit, I think you need to figure this one out for yourself. I can't tell you who to love-"

"Kendra! Love is a strong word!" Kit hissed.

"Fine, fine, relax. I can't tell you who to fall for, how about that? I think this is your decision. Stanford or Sherman. Your choice…" Kendra replied, folding her arms across her chest and sitting back in the booth of the café. In a higher voice she added, "I think you should go with Stanford, though," and after looking around, "who said that? Well, whoever it was is right. Even though Sherman sounds nicer and better for you, I think Stan's your man. He was probably just jealous, which means he really likes you."

"Yeah, but jealousy can go overboard. I know that because I've been crazy jealous, as well, I suppose. But that was because I was jealous that everyone else got better math grades than I did," Kit mused.

"Oh, you got a B minus in seventh grade in math," Kendra replied caustically. "In eighth grade you had an A in math. But I know, I remember, you weren't the best at math, but after you started to pay attention, you realized that you're pretty decent at it. Enough so that you could get a job."

"That point is moot right now," Kit replied heatedly. "I don't know if I want either of them, really. Stanford and I were never a couple, but he must've thought we were. Heck, even I thought we were for a little while there. But then in the Buster Tank I ran my mouth off."

"Another sentence using the Buster Tank," Kendra replied. "Someone's got an itty bitty crush on Sherman!"

"I do not!" Kit shot back. "Just shut up and listen! I ran my mouth off and figured out that we aren't a couple, and we've both got too much pride to say that we're sorry. I can't look Stanford in the eye and apologize. I just can't, and you know full well about my pride and ego issues. But even so, things won't be the same."

"Oh Katczinsky," Kendra replied with a heavy sigh. "I'm not asking you to pick. In fact I can't help but tease you. If you don't have feelings for Sherman, than why don't you just suck it up and apologize to Stanford?"

"He needs to apologize, too!" the brunette with the dark blue eyes replied. Kendra could see the gray showing in her friend's eyes. That gray was hard to detect unless up close, but since she could see eye colors faster than most others, she could now see the gray.

"I know that."

"Then why'd you even ask?" Kit asked in annoyance.

"I wanted to see what you would say."

"Right, and now you're thinking that I should be the bigger person."

"That's exactly what I'm thinking," Kendra said, shrugging her shoulders once. Before she could say anymore, Kit cut her off.

"Right, and now you're thinking that I need to take your advice for once in my life," she predicted. Kendra nodded. Kit was smart enough to determine what Kendra would think and so Kit used it to her advantage. "I'm not stupid, Kendra." Kendra shook her hand, waving her hand at the comment. Kit sighed. "Right, now you'll say that I'm not stupid." Again, Kendra nodded.

"We really do share a brain!" the 20-year-old with the gray green eyes announced. Kit smirked.

"Right. Well, I guess I'd better talk to Stanford, eh?" Kit wondered out loud.

"Or Sherman, eh?" Kendra said in a mocking tone.

"Or how about I whoop your butt first, eh?" Kit shot back, although she'd never really hurt Kendra.

"You're all talk and with no walk," Kendra replied. Kit rolled her eyes in annoyance and folded her arms across her chest. "Go on." Kit nodded once. "Get! And don't forget to call Sera."

"I won't!"

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Review, please! Note: Sera belongs to deegirlsjs, while Kendra belongs to E werewolf.


	15. Chapter 15

**I suppose I went over the description deep end, ehehehe, what with how it came out. But I blame the song I was listening to, Heavy In Your Arms by Florence & The Machine. I hope this chapter is good, it was kind of hard to write. I don't know if I own Lucas, because he's based off of a real person. I guess I partially own the character, or whatever. I only own Kit, and all of the other Battle Force 5 people and things belong to their rightful owners! Enjoy the last chapter, for next is the sequel. **

**Hope this was good! **

**I do not own Sera, and I suppose JC isn't mine either, because he's based off of a real person, as well. Sera belongs to deegirlsjs. **

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"Stop making kissy faces at me!" Sherman told his brother, as Spinner danced around the room like a piece of fruit would in a play. He'd run over and attempt to kiss Sherman every few minutes, and it was starting to get on the younger brother's nerves. He was trying to make sure the Buster Tank wasn't damaged, because they had taken a pretty hard fall after Kalus knocked them off a of a bridge. "Stop, Spinner!" Sherman said, face palming his brother away. Spinner let out a girly scream as he fell backwards, onto his butt.

"I'm just trying to show you what you look like whenever Kit's around!" Spinner retorted. Sherman rolled his eyes and finished checking over the Buster Tank. "Now you promised! Let's go find her!" The younger of the two looked at his brother and shook his head in an amused manner. He got into the Buster Tank and Spinner followed after him, closing the lid behind him.

Kit was standing in the diner's parking lot, wondering what to do about her situation. She sighed and turned, shoes tapping against the blacktop. It was a little too quiet, and whenever things were quiet, something was going to happen. She could already feel it deep down inside, and it was already weighing her down. So she waited. She could guess who was coming, but she was dreading the encounter with every passing minute. It was crazy that she was this worried about it.

But maybe if she didn't say goodbye at all, any wounds left open would heal faster. "Well, Sera is expecting me…" Kit whispered to herself. She folded her arms across her chest and smirked slightly. She didn't know exactly why she did this, but she just did. Today she donned her usual outfit, the black hoodie and the baby blue, stonewashed blue jeans. Today, she was half-hollow, half-heart, unable to tear herself away, unable to let herself remain in Handler's Corners any longer. She made a quick call.

She kept her position, however, trying to make a decision. "What to do?" she asked out loud, unsure of how to do this. She could see the flash of blue in the distance. "I waited too long. Let's just do this now, before I manage to talk myself out of it…" Kit stood with her hands behind her back, one hand clamped around her wrist firmly. She wore her best smirk, and tried to keep her choice in check. Spinner hopped out first, walking over to her. "Spinner," she greeted, smirk still in place.

"Where have you been?" Spinner asked, nudging her lightly.

"Talking to a friend," Kit replied, shrugging lightly. There was something different in the air, but she couldn't quite find the right words to describe it. The only word that came to mind was tension, and that was there, at least on her side. Spinner noticed that something was wrong, so he waited for Sherman to appear, and soon he did. "I've gotta get out of this town for a little while. I need a change of scene," she explained, gesturing with her hands. She added, "I'm just trying to avoid Stanford." Which in truth she was avoiding him.

"Where are you gonna go?" Spinner asked, a little annoyed at the brunette's sudden attitude change.

"Don't know yet. Just anywhere away from here," Kit replied, shrugging her shoulders lightly. Just as she finished her sentence, a yellow camaro with white racing stripes pulled into the parking lot. A boy of about 19 stepped out of the camaro, taking his shades off and resting them just above his forehead so that he could look on with brown eyes. "I see my ride is here. I'll be back for my bike later. I've got arrangements to make," Kit explained.

"Who's that?" Spinner blurted out before he could think twice about asking the question.

"My…brother. His name is Lucas," Kit replied. Lucas looked on, expressionless. He and Kit didn't look so much alike, but by the way they acted, apparently they must've been siblings.

"Katczinsky," Lucas started, "we'd better get a move on. JC will be waiting with Sera and the others." Kit nodded to him once and turned her attention back to Sherman and Spinner. Lucas looked at the two brothers. "Too bad I didn't get to meet you on better terms. You must be Sherman, and you must be Spinner." The two brothers nodded once. "Alright, let's go." Kit nodded and lingered for a moment, waiting to see what they would do.

"C'mon Kit, stick around," Spinner said, putting a hand on her shoulder. She shrugged his hand away, as Spinner gained a hurt look. "Kit… Is this because of Stanford? You can always ignore him."

"I'm so sorry," Kit broke down and said the words she had promised herself that she wouldn't say. "Trust me, it's better that I go now. Don't expect me to come back after I have my bike." She turned away and looked at Lucas. "Let's get a move on, Lucas. Wouldn't wanna keep JC and Sera waiting." Kit turned her dark blue eyes to Spinner, before turning them to Sherman. Olive green eyes gave nothing away, so she turned away once more and got into the passenger's side seat of Lucas' car.

"Kit!" Spinner started in again, but Sherman placed his hands on his brother's shoulders to hold him back. The brunette rolled down the window.

"I'm so sorry," she repeated, and then she rolled the tinted windows back up again. Lucas started car, and it purred to life. He pulled out of the parking lot, and just like that, Kit was gone.

"She just drove off… Sherman, she'll be back right?" Spinner asked. "They were lying, right? This is a sick joke, right?"

"I doubt it," Sherman replied, looking thoughtful. "I could tell that she was sorry, though. She didn't want to leave, yet at the same time she did."

"Since when did you become a psychiatrist?" Spinner asked, looking sad.

"I could tell. She looked me in the eye, Spinner. She's sorry, in a sense. She doesn't want us to be mad at her, and I could tell that she was _really _sorry. Let's let the others know," Sherman suggested.

"If you're sure… And I don't think we should be tell them just yet," Spinner replied.

"What's stopping you? She won't be back, I could see that, too," the younger one replied.

"She was like a sister to me, bro! I'm not giving up! She has to come back… And if she never does, I still won't stop hoping. No matter what happens, she was there for us. Remember what Stanford said? She defended us like brothers! Kit has to come back!" Spinner replied, looking determined. "Plus I'm older, so I know best!" Sherman decided to humor his brother.

"Alright, we won't tell the rest," Sherman replied. Spinner nodded and walked back to the Buster Tank. He jumped in and watched his brother clamber in after him. "But they'll find out eventually." Spinner nodded and sighed once. "Spinner, everything will be OK. She'll come back…"

But Sherman knew it wasn't true, and deep down on the inside, where Spinner would never admit it, he knew it was true, too.

~Fin~

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What did you think? Tell me in reviews, please!

**I posted the sequel as I posted this one. It's called Cortez Cross Rhodes! (Yes, horrid play on words, I know.) **

**Thanks to all who read, reviewed, alerted, and faved to this fic! I've never had this many reviews before, so I'm really happy that so many people liked it. **


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